Cardfight Persona
by Kaichi98
Summary: Upon meeting a girl and her group of friends, Aichi and his friends are dragged into a whole new world and adventure. As they take on many challenges and dangers, old and new, they awaken powers never before. (I suck at making up titles and summaries T.T) DISCLAIMER! I don't own CFV and Persona Series! Kaichi
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone! This is a new story and I hope everyone will enjoy this new story! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

After the Neon Messiah incident, Aichi and Kai were now dating after many attempts from the others to make them realise their feelings and confess as they were walking together to Card Capital.

" It's a nice day out, isn't it?"

" Yeah."

" You were supposed to go to Europe so why did you stay? The Euro League is coming up soon."

" And leave you alone? No way. We just got together after so long. I feel like an idiot for not realising your feelings."

" Don't be. I feel the same way too. Had I known, I would've confessed earlier too."

" And besides, the league isn't in another few months. It's not like I won't have a place to temporary stay in while I'm there. I'm in a team with Gaillard and Neve when I'm there after all. I'll be staying over at the orphanage then."

" When you're there, say 'hi' to the children for me. I've been told by Gaillard-kun that they've been asking about me."

" Sure but not in another few months."

" Okay."

" So, uh... Do you still see things I don't?"

" I've got a control over it now, but why the sudden question?"

" I mean, you're the only person who sees things we don't. It's just weird you didn't see my feelings..."

" Hm... Maybe I don't see hearts so well... Especially not yours. I was worried you might hate it if I was prying into your heart's business."

" I don't mind, really."

" Then look into it next time. I want to know how you do that."

" I'll try... Oh, but these few days..."

" What is it?"

" I've been seeing a gate around your area. It looks like a cell gate and there's like two girls there. They look like twin wardens from the looks of it."

" I'm... not going to ask you to go into the details. It's a little creepy already that there's a cell gate there."

" They're nice people, don't worry. I gave them food once when I was passing by."

" You what? You really are too kind and dense for your own sake..." Kai sighed

" I'm sorry."

" It's fine. That's what I like about you anyway."

" Thank you, Kai-kun."

" No problem."

Aichi stopped in his tracks just as they were about to reach Card Capital as Kai stopped walking as well.

" Aichi?"

" Shh. Hear that?"

Kai kept silent as he was able to hear sniffles.

" It's coming from the back door."

Aichi slowly walked towards one of the crates at the back of the shop as he finally spotted a orange long haired girl crying behind the crate.

" Are you alright?"

The girl let out a startled yelp as Kai walked over to Aichi.

" Who's this? What's this girl doing behind here?"

" Hey, Kai-kun!"

" What?"

" Go inside! I'll handle this!"

Aichi opened the back door while shoving Kai into the shop as he shut the door.

" Sorry if he was rude to you. What's your name? Are you lost?"

" Uh... Um..."

As the girl continued to cry a little, Aichi smiled softly.

" Hey, want to see a view with me?"

" Huh?"

Letting his Psyqualia activate quickly, they were drawn into a forest image of Planet Cray.

" Isn't it pretty? This is a planet I admire very much. I want to be able to know more about it one day."

" A planet... you admire?"

" Cardfight Vanguard. Do you know this game?"

The girl shook her head.

" As you might understand from the name, it's a card game but within the pictures and names of the cards, the real beings written in those cards exists here, in this planet."

" Everything?"

" Yeah. Even as I imagine it, it makes me so curious. What other mysteries will we know as we play the game? And I want to make friends with the units here as well. This planet is called Cray. A place where the units in Cardfight Vanguard exist and live in."

" Cardfight Vanguard..."

They stayed there while taking in the scenery for a few more moments before Aichi turned back to the girl.

" Have you calmed down now?"

" Yeah..."

" So, what is your name?"

" Futuba... Futaba Sakura..."

" Sakura-san, right? Are you lost?"

" Yeah, I got separated from my friends. I have a bit of anxiety in crowds or with people I don't know, so..."

" It's fine. I understand. Do you have a phone to tell them where you are? I'm sure they must be quite worried."

" Yeah, I do. But I never really checked where I was..."

" We're at a shop called 'Card Capital'."

" I see. I'll tell them then."

" Yeah."

Aichi closed his eyes to let the image disappear as he helped Futaba settle down on the bench beside the back door.

" They said that they're on their way."

" Sakura-san, would you like to try Vanguard?"

" Me?"

" Yeah."

" Then we can see that pretty place again?"

" Planet Cray? Yeah. You can."

" I want to see it again!"

" Sure. Do you want to come inside the shop?"

" A-Are there many people?"

" Hm... Not right now. We seem to have came too early. At most, only the Manager, Assitant Cat and Misaki-san are in the shop right now?"

" And that scary guy?"

" S-Scary guy...? You mean Kai-kun?"

" That spiky brown haired one..."

" Oh... He is. But don't worry, he's not that scary. If you want, I can ask him to go a little further away."

" A-Alright..."

Aichi led Futaba to the door as he slowly opened it. Kai stood up the moment he saw Aichi as Futaba hid behind him.

" Kai-kun, do me a favour and go a little further from the Standing Fight Table."

" Huh? Why?"

" Just do this for me, please?"

" ... Alright."

Once Kai went a little further, Aichi stepped in with Futaba as he shut the back door.

" Sorry to have came in from the back door, Misaki-san."

" It's fine. Kai told me what was happening. So..."

" Oh, this is Futaba Sakura-san. Sakura-san, this is my friend, Misaki-san."

" It's nice to meet you, Sakura-chan."

" N-Nice to meet you... You guys can just call me 'Futaba'."

" Then, welcome to Card Capital, Futaba-chan."

" Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Aichi Sendou."

" And scary guy?"

Aichi sweat dropped.

" The scary guy is called Toshiki Kai."

" Why am I the scary guy?!"

Aichi walked over and stomped on Kai's foot as he winced.

" What was that for?!"

" You're scaring her! Do me another favour and make yourself not to look so scary! You'll even scare the children in the orphanage with that face on once you go there!"

" Alright, I'm sorry..."

Aichi sighed as he walked over to Misaki, who was at the counter.

" Miwa's going to go nuts once he knows you can control Kai."

" And then Kai-kun's going to beat him senseless. Please don't tell him."

" I won't."

" Anyway, Futaba-chan needs a deck. She wants to try out Vanguard."

" Sure. What deck does she want?"

" Hm... How about Oracle Think Tank? I would recommend the Magus series."

" Just your luck. I happen to have an extra Magus deck upstairs. I didn't know what to do with the extra cards so I made a second Magus deck for whoever needs it. Looks like I made the right choice. Hold on, I'll go upstairs to get it."

" Thank you very much. And sorry for the trouble."

" Don't worry, it's no trouble. Oh, and Futaba-chan."

" Yeah?"

" Here. This is the guide on how to play Vanguard. You can read it while I get the deck."

" S-Sure... Thank you..."

" No problem."

Misaki went up to her room as Futaba opened the guide and read it.

" Is it alright for you if we use the Standing Fight Table, Futaba-chan?"

" Yeah."

Aichi took out his deck and looked through it while waiting as Futaba looked up from the guide.

" Hey, Aichi-san? Are you and scary guy dating?"

Aichi dropped his cards in surprise while blushing as he rushed to pick the cards up.

" W-Why are you suddenly asking that, Futaba-chan?!"

" You look like it to me at least. Misaki-san did say that scary guy could be controlled by you and that your other friend would be beaten senseless if he knew."

" P-Please don't remember the beaten senseless part... W-Well, you are right in someway... B-But we can save that for next time!"

" Alright then. But why did you choose this Oracle Think Tank and Magus series deck?"

" Why? You look like an oracle to me. And the Magus series predicts more of the future in the whole Oracle Think Tank clan, so I don't see why not."

" I look like an oracle?"

" Yeah. I know it's not much of a compliment but those huge goggles I saw just now looks great on you. It's as if it can see everything."

" Goggles? When did you see them?"

" Huh... That's odd. I was sure I saw goggles when I first saw you. Must've been my imagination..."

Futaba stayed silent as Misaki came back with the deck in hand. Aichi got up from picking his cards up after that.

" Would you like me to go first so that I can go through the rules again, Futaba-chan?"

" Sure."

" Then, first. We place a grade 0 card face down on the Vanguard Circle and shuffle our decks. After that, we place the deck here on the playmat and draw five cards. It's good to have at least a grade 0, 1, 2 and 3 in hand. If you have some cards you don't like, you can shuffle them back and draw back the amount of cards you shuffled back in once. I'm fine with my hand."

" I'm fine with mine too."

" Now imagine it. We're on the Planet Cray in astral forms. In this form, we hold no power and this is where the cards come in. Once we're ready, we can flip the card on the Vanguard Circle face up. Ready?"

" Yeah."

" Stand up, Vanguard!"

" Advance Party Seeker, File!"

" Semilunar Magus!"

Futaba looked in amazement at the image.

" Wow! We're so small and cute!"

" That's an image. So since I go first, I'll draw. I ride Honest Seeker, Cynric! With his Forerunner skill, I move File behind. Also, you can call other comrades from your hand to the field as rear guards. I call Flail Seeker, Isbuzzard. I can't attack since I start first, so I'll end my turn here."

" Okay. Then I draw. Uh... I ride to a grade higher each turn, right?"

" Yeah."

Suddenly, the front door opened as they turned to see a few teenagers rushing in.

" Futaba!"

" We were worried about you!"

" I-I'm sorry! I saw something and just ran off!"

" Tell us next time when you run off like that! We looked all over for you!"

" S-Sorry..."

" Thank you for taking care of Futaba for us."

" No problem."

" Um, can I finish this first before we go? I'm really, really interested in this game! Please?!"

" Alright, alright. At least we don't have to explain to Boss about this..."

" Alright! Then I'll continue. It's my turn, right?"

" Yeah."

" Then I'll ride to Crescent Magus. Then I move Semilunar to the back with the Forerunner skill. I'll call Circle Magus. Uh... Her skill is to look at the top card and choose to leave it on the top or bottom, right? Let's see... I'll leave this on the top. Then I'll use Crescent Magus to attack you!"

" No guard."

" Um... Drive trigger check. Draw trigger. I give power to Circle Magus and I draw one extra card... Right?"

" Yeah. You're doing great. Damage trigger check. No trigger here."

" Alright. Then Circle Magus attacks your Vanguard too!"

" I won't guard that either. Damage trigger check. I got a draw trigger too. I draw one extra card."

" Then I'll end my turn here."

" You're doing well, Futaba-chan. I draw. I ride Full Bloom Seeker, Cerdic! I call Agreement Seeker, Menprius and I move Isbuzzard to the front. Isbuzzard attacks Circle Magus!"

" No guard."

" Cerdic attacks! Drive check. No trigger."

" Damage check. No trigger either."

" Menprius attacks!"

" No guard."

" His attack hits. I activate his skill! Counterblast! I look at the top five cards of my deck and search for a grade 3 'Seeker' card from among them. Light Source Seeker, Alfred Exiv. I end my turn."

" Alright, my turn! Stand and draw! I ride Stellar Magus! And then I call Cuore Magus! Stellar Magus attacks your Vanguard!"

" No guard."

" Drive check! No trigger. Her skill activates when the attack hits. I counterblast one and declare the top card of my deck. If it's the correct card, I get to put it into my hand. If not, I'll unflip one card. Uh... Hexagonal Magus!"

Futaba flipped up the top card as it revealed to be Hexagonal Magus.

" I did it! I add her to my hand! Cuore Magus attacks Menprius!"

" No guard."

" Turn end."

" Amazing, Futaba-chan! You're doing really well! Then it's my turn. Stand and draw! A long journey ends... See the king triumph to victory with his comrades! I ride Light Source Seeker, Alfred Exiv! I move Isbuzzard back and call Morvi, Locrinus and Cynric!"

" Showing no mercy as always."

" Yeah."

" Boosted by Cynric, Locrinus attacks Cuore Magus!"

" No guard!"

" Boosted by File, Alfred attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Twin drive check! I got a draw trigger! I draw one card and give the power to Morvi! Second check! I got a critical trigger! I give the critical to Alfred and the power to Morvi!"

" Damage check! Second check! Heal trigger! I heal one damage and the power to my Vanguard!"

" Morvi attacks! Skill activated! +3000 power when there's four or more Seekers in the rear guard!"

" Guard!"

" Turn end."

Futaba sighed in relief.

" I'm sorry, Futaba-chan. Maybe I went a little too full out..."

" It's fine! It's a lot of fun! Besides, it wouldn't be this much fun of you didn't go all out too."

" You're right."

" Then I'll stand and draw! I ride Hexagonal Magus! I call Stellar Magus and Crescent Magus. Stellar Magus attacks with a boost from Crescent Magus!"

" Guard!"

" Hexagonal Magus attacks with a boost from Semilunar Magus! Skill activated! +2000 power!"

" No guard!"

" Twin drive! I got a critical trigger! Power and critical to the Vanguard! Second check. Tetra Magus. No trigger."

" Damage check. Second check. No trigger."

" Turn end."

" My turn. Stand and draw! Alfred attacks with a boost from File!"

" Perfect guard!"

" Twin drive... Second check... I got a heal trigger! Power to Morvi and heal one damage! Locrinus attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Morvi attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Turn end."

" The damage is tied at four to four. I'm surprised. Futaba-chan is a new player and yet she is practically mastering the Oracle Think Tank."

" Not as good as you yet though."

" Maybe but this is a fight worth watching."

" Hm... Maybe."

" Because Aichi's playing?"

" Shut up."

" Stand and draw! Break ride! Pentagonal Magus! Break ride skill! I look at the top three of my deck and then leave them back on top according to my preference. Then I use Semilunar Magus's skill. I declare the top card, if it's correct, then I'll draw two cards. Let's see... Stellar Magus! Since it's correct, I'll draw two cards! +10000 power! Then Pentagonal's Limit Break! I declare the top card of my deck again, if it's correct, then I get +5000 power and an extra critical. I declare Paisley Magus! Since it's correct again, I add power and critical!"

" For real?! That's a high stack! Let's see... With the 10000 from the break ride or whatsoever, then this Limit Break..."

" With 11000 as the base, that's 26000 on its own... Amazing."

" I call Stellar Magus and Crescent Magus! My left Stellar Magus attacks Morvi!"

" No guard."

" And now, boosted by Crescent Magus, Pentagonal Magus attacks your Vanguard! Crescent Magus's skill! I declare the top card of my deck! Paisley Magus! Since it's correct, my boosted power gets +3000!"

" Perfect guard!"

" Twin drive! I got a critical trigger! All effects to my other Stellar Magus! Second check! No trigger. My other Stellar Magus attacks!"

" Guard!"

" I end my turn."

" She wasn't able to deal any damage this turn."

" It's over."

" I stand and draw. Seek mate! Stand up, my avatar! Blaster Blade Seeker! Legion! Alfred's skill! Counterblast! I superior call Morvi! And Legion skill! +1000 power for each Seeker rear guard and if I have five or more of them, Legion gets one extra critical!"

" That's almost equal to what happened just now!"

" Come on, Futaba! You can do it!"

" Legion attacks!"

" 30000 power! Guard!"

" Aichi's Legion power is at 30000 power. Her defense is 31000."

" One trigger is all he needs for that attack to go through."

" Yeah."

" Twin drive... Second check... I got it! A draw trigger! All effects to Legion and I draw one card!"

" Damage check! No trigger. Second check! No trigger either."

" That was great. Even though it was your first time, you did great fighting him, Futaba-chan."

" Really?"

" Yeah."

Kai walked over and pinched Aichi's cheek a little as he winced.

" What was that for?!"

" Payback for stomping on my foot. You sure don't spare people, do you? Everytime they ask for a fight, you never hold back."

" I don't want to hear that from you."

" Whatever."

" You sure get along well with scary guy, Aichi-san."

" I told you not to-!"

Aichi had stomped on his foot again as Aichi continued to blush.

" W-Well..."

Assistant Cat suddenly jumped down from the counter as it went towards Aichi.

" What's wrong?"

It seemed to guide Aichi's gaze towards the bag the black haired boy was carrying as another cat popped out from it.

" That's a cute cat!"

" His name's Morgana."

" That's a cute name too!"

Aichi patted Morgana with permission as he purred.

" Hey, the cat's drooling again... This is disgusting..."

" Huh? Do cats drool?"

" N-No! D-Don't worry about what this guy says!"

" He's just implying how much Morgana likes being pet."

" I see. Can I carry him? He's just so cute!"

" Sure."

Aichi carefully scooped Morgana out of the bag as he continued to pet it.

" I think Assistant Manager wanted a new friend."

" You're right. I'll go get something for them to eat."

" Yeah."

Misaki got two bowls of milk soon after as she placed the bowls down. Assistant Cat and Morgana drank the milk after Aichi placed Morgana down as they sat down together at a table while Misaki continued to tend the counter.

" I'm Aichi Sendou and this is Toshiki Kai. The one by the counter is Misaki Tokura."

" I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. This guy with Morgana is Akira Kurusu."

" I'm Ann Takamaki."

" I'm Makoto Nijiima."

" I am Yusuke Kitagawa."

" I am Haru Okumura."

" Again, thank you very much for taking care of Futaba. We were worried when she went missing."

" No kidding..."

" It's fine, really."

" This game is really amazing! I can see a planet so pretty!"

" Huh? What planet?"

" Planet Cray! He showed me the image just now!"

" I'm glad you like Planet Cray so much, Futaba-chan."

" Actually, you showed me without the game too. Do that again! I want to see it again!"

" Uh, that's..."

He felt a hand on his head as Aichi started to sweat profusely. Kai stared at him.

" Outside, now."

" Y-Yes..."

Kai grabbed Aichi's hand as he headed out to the back door with him.

" Did I say something wrong?"

" I don't know."

A few minutes later, both came back into the shop as they sat back down.

" Alright, Futaba-chan. Just this once but please keep this a secret, okay?"

" Alright!"

Aichi smiled as Psyqualia flickered in his eyes. They were now standing on a cliff overlooking an ocean.

" Oh wow! It's different! So cool!"

" What the..."

" What a majestic view. I'd love to put it to art."

The scenery changed to see the inside of a sanctuary.

" So beautiful..."

" Oh, everyone!"

" Aichi, hold on!"

As Aichi ran, a giant blue dog came up to him and nuzzled Aichi.

" Nice to see you too, Wingal! You sure are grown up as a Seeker!"

" My Vanguard."

" Blaster Blade. We meet again."

" Yeah."

Both shook hands as more of the Seeker units came forward to greet Aichi. Kai sighed.

" He's such a trouble sometimes..."

" So... cool!"

" I can even touch them! This feels so real!"

" Blaster Blade, I have to go now. I think I'll show them a few more places."

" Sure. Take care of yourself."

" Yeah!"

The scenery changed again and again while they were introduced to each clans or Nations. After that, Aichi deactivated his Psyqualia and they were back in the shop.

" That was great! I feel like I know Planet Cray better!"

" No kidding! Those places were huge!"

" I now have more inspiration for my arts. You have my thanks."

" I saw idols too! Top it off, they're all mermaids!"

" There were really interesting species too. Like those Robot Polices."

" They're called clans. I think you were talking about the Dimension Police. But I am glad everyone enjoyed themselves."

" I'm gonna play again! I wanna see those places again!"

" I'm always up for a game, so come anytime. Kai-kun and Misaki-san are too."

" Sure!"

" I guess we were too early. Ishida and the others haven't come yet."

" Yeah."

Aichi blinked a little as his vision started to blur and he blacked out. Kai caught him just before he would hit the floor.

" Hey, Aichi!"

" W-What happened?!"

" It's fine. He's just tired."

" Of course he would be. Showing Planet Cray takes up his energy. Kai, you should bring him back home. I don't think he can stay here anymore." Misaki said

" Yeah."

" Sorry... Because I insisted on seeing Cray again..."

" It's fine. Aichi's like that. You guys can stay here but I need to get Aichi back so that he can get some rest. But if you guys can't stay for too long, this is a recommendation if you guys are interested. Choose your decks before going home if you guys want to come back again."

Kai carried Aichi as he walked back to his apartment with Aichi. After taking Kai's advice and getting their decks, they said their goodbyes.

" Now I've got another pastime!"

" Yeah, it was really interesting."

" It was nice of him to show us those views but I hope he's alright. He seemed really tired."

" I'm gonna come back tomorrow to apologise again..."

" So, nobody's going to question how he did that?"

" Morgana's right, I guess."

" I mean, we're so used to Palaces and the Metaverse all that, whatever that happened just now didn't seem weird at all..."

" True."

" But there is one weird thing..."

" What is it, Futaba?"

" I don't know why, but he said that I was wearing huge goggles when he first saw me. I mean, the only time I wear goggles is in the Metaverse."

" Huh, that is odd. You are obviously wearing glasses after all."

" Is that also why he kept petting Mona-chan? I mean, he seemed very attracted to you for a moment. In the Metaverse, Mona-chan walks and talks like a normal person after all."

" Now that you've mentioned it..."

" It is pretty odd. But I really liked that petting though... It's so nice."

" One word, Mona. Disgusting. Seriously, stop drooling whenever that happens!"

" I can't help it!"

" That aside, why do you think he even saw Futaba in those goggles?"

" I'd like to say that he might be able to see things normal people don't. Anyway, we should head into the Mementos today too. We have quite a lot of requests to complete."

" Yeah, you're right. Let's go then."

" Yeah."

They headed to Shibuya Station and got read to head into the Mementos.

" Hey, look!"

" What is it, Futaba?"

" Well, I was curious about why Aichi-san knew so I inputted his name into the Meta-Nav and I've got a hit!"

" No way, for real?!"

" Someone like him has a distorted desire?"

" It's a little hard to believe..."

" Let's head inside and see what we can find out about him."

" Right!"

They entered the Mementos as Morgana turned into a car and they started to drive around the Mementos.

" What is this? I don't see any Shadows around."

" You're right. It's too quiet around here."

" This is the floor where we can find his distorted desires, right? And Shadows are attracted to that... So why are there no Shadows?"

" Man... This silence is creepy."

" I agree. Let's hurry."

" Guys, I found the distorted space but..."

" But what, Makoto?"

" Look at that... I've never seen anything like it."

They moved to look at the front as they all gasped.

" No way..."

" It's a distorted space but it's so beautiful. I feel another inspiration coming up."

" It doesn't even look distorted. It's just pure light in there."

" Do you still want to proceed, Joker?"

" Yeah. Let's head inside."

" Alright then."

They headed into the space as they got out from the car and Morgana turned back to normal.

" So pretty..."

" All I see is nothing but light. Why is this even inside Mementos?"

" Because it is my wish to protect the souls of the masses that have their distortions come here..." A voice said

They looked in front to see Aichi.

" Aichi?!"

" No, that's his Shadow."

" Protect the souls of the masses with distorted desires?"

" I take care of the minorities actually. It's nothing much but when someone's Shadow come here, I make sure I give them a good talk before letting them think about their actions. If my words get through to them, they'll go back to atone for their mistakes. If not, I'm sure you guys can do a better job."

" I see... That's why some people who we didn't even bother to look at their problems said that we solved them! I was wondering why."

" You solved them for us."

" I have no power as a mere Shadow but I do share a similarity with my real self. We use words to get through to people."

" How did you do this?"

" I can see things people don't. Like today, I saw Futaba-chan in her Metaverse outfit unintentionally. It's like that. I can heave control but sometimes, I see things whenever I don't want to. It's the same way with Morgana."

" So we were right about that..."

" Why do this though?"

" 'Atoning for the sins I've caused'... That's the phrase I hear so much from someone close to me. You see, we had a bunch of history and... He regretted what he did but he never really forgave himself for that. That's why he's staying with me, so that he can atone for his sins."

" Atone for his sins?"

" It really goes way back... To cut it short, he did something that was almost irreversible and it almost cost my life. He felt really sorry and regretful even though I said that it was never his fault over and over again. He never listened in the end so..."

" Is it scary guy? Toshiki Kai?"

" Yes."

" I know it might be hard for you to say this but what did he do?"

" You know Vanguard, right?"

" Yeah. You introduced it to us."

" I said that the Planet Cray was real and I'm not lying either. It's because of the feud in Planet Cray. Our world and Planet Cray are so closely linked that an evil entity came and invaded this world one year ago."

" An evil entity?!"

" Yes. It used Vanguard to its convenience and Kai-kun... Because he got obsessed with power, because he wanted to surpass me... He gave in to that evil power."

" And it put your life at risk?"

" I lost to him. People who lose to those controlled will also get controlled. I resisted but it almost worn out my soul... I was saved though and then I still went back to save him... He still deeply regrets it, even now."

" No way... I mean, this is just a card game but..."

" It didn't feel like it that time though. Don't worry about it. In the end, I had to harbour the Seed of that evil entity's clan because I beat their agent. I tried erasing my existence so that no one will come looking for me and sealed myself away. But Kai-kun... He remembered me and saved me. That was enough to atone for his sins, I'm sure. But he didn't accept that..."

" So he wants to that strength to protect you forever? For those sins?"

" He never backs down on his words. I've never been able to stop him from thinking that way so I just went along with him. It did help us to get together so... Uh... P-Please pretend you didn't hear that! D-Don't even mention what I said in front of my real self!"

" Huh... Never imagined to hear that. But it's fine, we won't tell. In fact, I think you and Kai make a fine couple."

" T-Thank you..."

" So your unconscious desire to help people realise and atone for their sins created this space..."

" Yes, that seems to be the case."

" Have you ever thought about awakening as a Persona than just being a Shadow?"

" Huh? ... Actually, plenty of times but I don't want to worry Kai-kun or my other friends. I think I've worried them enough. But when the time comes, I'll definitely consider it. I'll be cheering you guys on though, my real self don't know who you guys really are but I definitely know since I've been here for quite some time, Phantom Thieves. Good luck."

" You can count on us. And... We'll visit you again. It does seem very quiet around here for you to be alone."

" Thank you. Although, I would usually be attracting Shadows today but my real self is too mentally exhausted for me to use any of my powers today. So... You do your job and I'll see you guys again. Make sure to show up in the shop tomorrow though. I was really impressed by Futaba-chan's skills in Vanguard!"

" Thanks! We will!"

Morgana turned into a car again as they exited the space and they went back to the real world.

" That was quite the surprise."

" Yes, but that was indeed beautiful."

" To think a Shadow like that exists... I guess we still have a lot to learn about the Metaverse."

" Yeah. What should we do now? We can go back to the Mementos to defeat more Shadows."

" Yeah. Let's head back into the Mementos, he did leave the rest to us."

" Let's go!"

They nodded and went back into the Metaverse after that.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the space where Aichi's Shadow was in... Black mist penetrated the light as it formed into a human form and Aichi's Shadow gasped.

" You!"

" Hey there. Seems like I've found something interesting yet again. I see you're still protecting pathetic humans that are not worth the time."

" That's to you. Just get out of here, you're not welcome in here."

" That's not up to you. I decide whether I want to go or not. And right now, I don't. Since I still can't get close to your real body, I might as well have some fun in here. I'm sure you won't fail to entertain me."

" You're not going to get away with this!"

" Oh? You and your real self are no different, huh... Then I'll say this again. It's no use."

* * *

Back at Kai's apartment, Kai was still waiting for Aichi to wake up when he saw Aichi's face scrunched up in unease.

" Aichi? Come on, wake up. Something wrong?"

" He... lp..."

" Aichi, what's wrong?! Hey, wake up!"

" Pl... ease..."

" Aichi! Wake up! Come on!"

He suddenly heard a buzzing sound as he got their phones out and checked them as he gasped.

" What is this?!"

* * *

At the same time, after defeating a few more Shadows, Akira and the others' phones started to buzz as well.

" What the..."

 _" He... lp..."_

" What was that voice?!"

 _" Pl... ease... he... lp... me..."_

" Wait... This voice..."

 _" Some... one... Any... one..."_

" That's Aichi's Shadow!"

" His Shadow is calling us?! But how?!"

" Maybe it's because we're in the Mementos. No time to think about it! We need to head back to where his Shadow was!"

" Yes, it sounds like he's in trouble!"

" Come on then! We need to go now!"

" Yeah!"

They ran to ride in the car as it drove off while they set the location back to where they found Aichi's Shadow...

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! What happened to Aichi's Shadow?! Find out in the next chapter! Thank you for reading and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 2! I hope everyone will enjoy this new story! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

As Joker and the others arrived at where they found Aichi's Shadow, they gasped at the black mist surrounding the white distortion.

" This doesn't look good!"

" But it wasn't like this before! Is it because of the Shadows in the Mementos?!"

" Doesn't look like it to me! This doesn't look like the work of Shadows!"

" We've gotta get in and help him!"

" Yeah!"

They nodded and drove into the space as they got off from the car and looked around.

" This is so weird..."

" This is a completely different feeling than the usual distortions we've faced."

" Over there!"

They looked in front to see Aichi's Shadow, unconscious and being wrapped in black mist by the same figure.

" Hey, what are you doing?!"

" Hm? More humans?"

" Who are you?!"

" Someone who you shouldn't mess with."

" Why you... Release him!"

" And if I say no?"

" Then we'll do this the hard way!"

They summoned their Personas as the attacks only passed through the figure.

" Nothing's working! What's with this guy?!"

" What is this?!" A voice exclaimed

They turned their heads to see Kai with Aichi still unconscious in his arms as they gasped.

" W-What's scary guy doing here?!"

" That voice... Sakura?! And I said not to call me that!"

" What are you doing here?!"

" I should be asking that! Where is this place and why is there a duplicate of Aichi?!"

" C-Calm down! We'll handle this so you two should go back!"

" Hey, didn't expect to see you here, Toshiki Kai."

" That presence... No, it can't be... Void?! What are you doing here?! You were supposed to be gone!"

" Well, I wasn't."

" And what are you doing with that other Aichi?!"

" Let's just say that this is a mental being of him."

" Mental being? Wait, is that why Aichi isn't waking up?!"

" That seems to be the case. I'm glad you brought him along too. This just makes my job much more easier."

Putting his hand out, Kai was knocked away while Aichi was grabbed by black mist and floated towards Void. Joker and the others ran to help Kai up.

" Damn it, Void...! Give Aichi back!"

" And why should I listen to you? You're just a powerless being that can be pushed around with just a single wave of my hand, especially in this place. Face it, Toshiki Kai. There was no way you could ever defeat me, much less protect Aichi Sendou. Look at your pathetic state. You're nothing more than a human who can do nothing but watch. And you even harmed your precious lover for power, you were never worthy of protecting anything."

" I... can't protect Aichi?"

" That's not true! Aichi's Shadow told us! You were determined to do anything to protect him, and that you always do whatever your mind sets to!"

" Aichi's Shadow...?"

" The mental being he talked about. That's Aichi's Shadow, his inner self. He knows that you're working hard, even now to keep him away from danger. Are you just going to give up just because that Void thing said so? He's someone precious to you, isn't he?"

" That's right... After the incident, I promised Aichi that no matter what, I will never let him go and neither will I let danger come his way. Void, no matter what you say, I won't let you have your way! I will protect Aichi, even if it costs me my life!"

 _" I was tired of waiting."_

Kai clenched his head as a surge of pain was felt throughout his body.

 _" I was waiting for you to say those words. You've kept me and your precious lover waiting for far too long. Mere words spat out by an evil being almost led you back to the wrong path again, but you must never waver from your determination. If you want to keep him safe, then I'll grant you the power you need. Let us form a contract. I am thou, thou art I. Keep to your words and incinerate the evil that dared to try and stain your heart! Your sins and your love will push you forward, move forward from the haunting past and rid it from your heart!"_

As Kai lifted up his head, a red mask with orange fiery outlines appeared along with small ornaments of red dragons hanging off the sides appeared.

" You're right. I won't let evil words spat out lure me out to the wrong path again. Aichi, you've protected us this whole time, now it's my turn to protect you! Assist me, Kusanagi!"

Kai ripped off the mask as a pillar of blue flames and light surrounded him.

" Woah!"

" No way..."

As the light disappeared, Kai was now in a black sleeveless shirt with a red robes with yellowish fire outlines around it, long black pants with a pattern of a red dragon outline on the left side of the pants with black boots with the similar dragon pattern on the right shoe. His weapons were a wide sword with a red helm and a red plated one handed gun decorated with yellowish flames tied to his waist. His Persona was a giant red dragon with a yellow orb in one hand as it roared.

" What?!"

" He awakened a Persona?!"

" This is incredible! His Persona's power is off the charts!"

" What?!"

" I won't ever lose heart again, not to you or anyone! I will keep to my word and make sure Aichi is always safe! And you're not going to stop me from doing that! Let's go, Kusanagi!"

Kusanagi roared once more as Kai dashed over to Void along with Kusanagi following behind him. He unsheathed his sword after that.

" Don't you see? It's futile trying to hit me. You're not going to land any hits on me."

" We'll see."

Kai smirked as he slashed Void once flames enveloped his sword and sheathed his sword again. Kusanagi disappeared and turned back into the mask as Void fell to his knees while holding the area where Kai had slashed.

" Impossible! You could actually hurt me?!"

Losing his concentration after the slash, Aichi and his Shadow were released as Kai caught them both before jumping back to Joker and the others.

" Awesome!"

" What the... What's with this outfit?! And this mask..."

" Don't worry. This happened to us too. We knew nothing about these clothes until we take a really good look at it."

" You've awakened to a Persona. Your determination awakened it."

" My determination...?"

Aichi's Shadow woke up first as he opened his eyes.

" Kai... kun...? No way... You've awoken your Persona?"

" Seems like it."

" But why are you here?"

" This weird app appeared on mine and Aichi's phone... Before I knew it, we were here."

" I didn't mean to... But I guess it's because of your unwavering heart that brought you here. You came to my call, right?"

" Yeah. You were talking through Aichi."

" He was talking through our apps too. That's why we came over."

" Thank you for responding. I'll handle my real self."

" What will you do?"

" I could at least help him to recover a little from his mental exhaustion."

" Please do."

" I wonder why Kai's attack succeeded... We tried with our own Personas but it didn't even make a scratch on that thing."

" Good question."

" It's no surprise. With his exposure to Link Joker and the Seed, in the Metaverse, he can harm Void. And not just because of Link Joker, you've had exposure to Planet Brandt as well. Cray's powers have reached you and awakened your Persona. A Persona that can harm the greatest enemy of Cray."

" So that's why..."

" Damn it, Toshiki Kai! Whatever powers you got won't stop me!"

" He's coming!"

" Get ready, everyone!"

Black mist enveloped more of the space as it started to become more and more corrupted. They summoned their Personas as Kai took the lead to beat Void but shadow minions stopped their advance as they were continuously pushed back.

" Everyone..."

Hearing a groan, Aichi's Shadow looked down to see Aichi waking up as he helped him to sit up.

" Where am I...?"

" You're finally awake. Now Kai-kun can feel more assured."

" Kai-kun? What happened to me...? Who are you? You look just like me."

" I am the other you within."

" Another me?"

" Yes, the one living inside you."

" Is that why your eyes are yellow?"

" You can say that."

" Where is Kai-kun?"

Just as he said that, Kai was thrown back by a minion as he slid back to where Aichi was.

" Kai-kun?! What's with those clothes?!"

" Is that the first thing you have to say when you wake up...?"

" I-I'm sorry... Are you alright?"

" Yeah, somehow..."

Kai got back up as he got ready to battle again.

" You just stand back and wait for us to finish this. Let's go again, Kusanagi!"

Kusangi appeared again as Kai charged towards Void again.

" Kai-kun!"

" Just stand down! We don't want anyone to get hurt here!"

" That voice... Futaba-chan?!"

" I know, big surprise. But we can explain everything later! Right now, that guy's gotta go!"

" But how...? Void is nothingness itself."

" To top it off, only Kai can harm that thing. If only there was someway to get past those minions! They keep regenerating!"

" Hey, you're my other self, right? I'm certain you know what's happening here! Please tell me! If I can help, please just tell me what to do!"

" This place is called the Metaverse and we're now inside Mementos. It's a place where Shadows like me live in. Mementos are the desires of the masses and they are all gathered here if they don't have a strong enough distorted desires to form a Palace."

" I have a desire too? That's why you formed?"

" Except your desires weren't distorted like the others here... Your desires stem from your will to protect the ones you hold close. You had a horrible past but then Kai-kun saved you. From that day on, your courage grew stronger day by day until years passed. Here you are now, faced with another obstacle."

" I don't understand."

" I was formed from your kind heart. Your desire is to stop the masses from committing sins that'll plunge them to guilt, just like Kai-kun. You never wanted a repeat of that, that's why I'm here. To stop the Shadows of those with distorted desires and guide them to the right path."

" Guide them... to the right path..."

" You've led many people down to the path that was right. You know that very well."

" But I..."

" I know you want to help them but first, reignite that determination that you had."

" Reignite it?"

Aichi's Shadow nodded.

" Everyone!"

The two turned to see that Kai and the others were knocked down by Void and his minions as Void chuckled.

" There was never a chance you could beat me! Measly humans! Now, you get to face my wrath!"

Suddenly, Aichi had quickly ran in front of them while trying to stop Void's advance.

" You're not touching them."

" You have no power to resist me, Aichi. You should know very well. Tell you what, I'll spare them. In exchange, you'll come with me."

" Don't do it!"

" I'm not going to accept the deal, neither am I going to let you hurt them. You know that you can't hurt me, Void."

" What?!"

" Aichi, don't! Get away from there!" Kai exclaimed

" How amusing... I'll show you how wrong you really are!"

With a simple command, the minions started charging at Aichi.

" No!"

" Get away from there!"

" Aichi!"

With determination flashing in his eyes, his Psyqualia activated as a barrier reflected and disintegrated all the minions that charged at him.

" No way..."

" What is that?! That barrier is so powerful!"

" They're unable to regenerate too?!"

" Impossible! What is this?!"

" You're not touching Kai-kun or my friends! I won't let you hurt them!"

The black mist that had surrounded the once bright space was now taken over by a strong blue aura.

" What is this?!"

" No... It's not possible... This power..." Void exclaimed

 _" That's right... You have the power within you to rebel against any evil. You have the power to protect those precious to you."_ Aichi's Shadow thought as he disappeared

 _" Now it's finally time for us to become one again..."_ A voice echoed in Aichi's head

Aichi clenched his head from the pain surging through his head as he screamed a little.

" Aichi!"

 _" You wish to protect those precious to you with your own power, don't you? Then release the power within you. I will aid you so let us forge a contract. I am thou, thou art I. You have done splendid overcoming your past. Now overcome this enemy in front of you with that same strength!"_

" I understand... I will!"

As Aichi lifted up his head, a white mask with marks of wings on the sides and outlined in gold appeared.

" Arise, Alma!"

Ripping off the mask, a pillar of blue flames surrounded Aichi. When the flames disappeared, Aichi was now dressed in a white suit and pants with a white outlined with gold overall long sleeved coat. White heel boots that tucked the rims of his long pants in and a gold staff with a rainbow gem on the top that was covered by a glass sphere as his weapon and a white gun with petit wings on the back was on his waist. A gold head piece with a single sapphire teardrop gem in the center of it appeared on his head. His Persona was a winged black haired man wearing a white and gold robe while carrying a staff and a holographic shield in each hand.

" Aichi too?!"

" Wow!"

" It's useless to resist me!"

Aichi held out his staff as the light disintegrated more black mist coming his way.

" What?!"

" Alma!"

Alma charged at Void as more black mist halted his advance and both clashed with each other. Aichi quickly got to the others and held out his staff as he healed them.

" My wounds..."

" They're all healed!"

" Is everyone feeling better?"

" Yeah, thanks a lot!"

Aichi nodded as Alma retreated upon seeing that Aichi had healed everyone. The mask was back on Aichi as Kai caught him after he fell to his knees.

" Aichi! Hey, you alright?"

" Yeah... Just a little tired..."

" Not much of a surprise though. This whole space changed because of his awakening."

Void watched them as his eyes narrowed.

 _" I was hoping to obtain him before something like this happens... Looks like I'll have to retreat and think up of another plan."_ Void thought

He disappeared after that.

" He disappeared!"

" Looks like he's only going to be gone for a bit. Come on, we should get you guys home."

" Where did you guys come from anyway?"

" The portal at the side over there."

" That's where you came in from? Wow."

" Anyway, that should lead you back to where you guys came from. Come on. You must be exhausted too."

" Yeah... It's starting to take a toll."

Kai helped Aichi on his shoulder as they stepped into the portal and were back at Kai's apartment.

" This is your place?"

" My apartment. Aichi and I are living here."

" I see."

" How's Aichi?"

" He's already knocked out for the night."

Kai pulled up the blanket for Aichi as he continued to sleep.

" Our clothes changed back."

" It only changes when we're in the Metaverse."

" So about what happened... Care to explain more?"

" Can't really keep anything from you after all that."

And they started to explain to Kai after that.

* * *

Meanwhile, at a dark place, Void appeared as he sat on his throne. He then thought back to what had happened as he tapped his fingers on the arm rest.

 _" What power. I should've captured him sooner when his powers were still not developed. Well, my agent did fail on that task... Taking things to my own hands is naturally necessary."_ Void thought

" The Metaverse, huh..."

 _" If I'm correct, if one has a distorted desire and forms a Palace, the Shadow ruling over Palace can have anything they want just by using their thoughts, a cognition. I'm not a living being, however..."_ Void thought

He disappeared as he reappeared at somewhere else with a darker throne and a whole castle.

" Interesting. It looks real. Just as I imagine it... All that's left is to make it into reality and..."

" Void-sama."

Void turned to his side as 'Aichi' walked over to him with dark clothes.

 _" Perfect. He's just as I want him to be. This, I will make it into reality as well soon."_ Void thought

" Come here."

" Yes."

'Aichi' sat on his lap as Void lifted up his chin.

" Soon, I'll make those eyes look at me the same way this one looks at me in reality. Isn't that right, Aichi?"

" Yes, Void-sama."

" That's my good boy."

* * *

At the same time, Aichi opened his eyes as he sat up slowly after Akira and the others had explained to Kai what was going on.

" You're awake."

" Kai-kun? What were we... What happened to that place from before?"

" We came back from there. We're back at my apartment basically."

" I see... I do remember wearing something weird..."

" That's just the outfit that you wear in the Metaverse."

" The Metaverse, huh... I did have some explanation from my Shadow so I have some knowledge of it. Don't worry though, even if I don't understand, I'm sure Kai-kun will tell me more later. You guys did tell him everything, right?"

" Yeah."

" So you guys are the people who've been changing hearts of those big shots on television, huh. I was wondering why they suddenly decided to confess their crimes."

" That is a Phantom Thieves' job after all."

" W-What?! M-Morgana talked!"

" Morgana's a bit different in the Metaverse. Once you've been in there and you've acknowledged that he could talk then he can talk right now just like that."

" That's even more cuter!"

" Well you're another weird one..."

" Aichi's always been on the dense side anyway." Kai sighed

" Is that so?"

" I'm not!"

" So what will you guys do from now on?"

" Don't know. We'll just keep doing our own thing, I guess."

" We'll keep doing what we do as Phantom Thieves then."

" I know this might have been a question asked before but why do this?"

" To get back at society in general, I guess..."

" And we want to give people the courage to stand up for themselves too."

" But from what I've heard recently, they've been relying on you guys a lot now."

" That's one problem..."

" Seems like society has a very weird system. Once they've lost hope in politics and the police, they start to find new hope for themselves."

" True. Unlike someone I know..."

" Don't drag me into this, Kai-kun."

" I didn't say anything."

" What was that about?"

" Nothing. It's not something we get troubled about."

" But what about that Void thing?"

At that, Aichi and Kai looked away for a bit.

" ... We'll deal with it somehow. Don't worry."

" But that guy's not normal! He could even enter the Metaverse!"

" Please tell us. Isn't there anything we can do to help?"

" Void is nothingness. He's not a living being. You can't change his heart. He came to Earth after conquering multiple planets out there."

" Multiple planets?!"

" Please, it's not so simple. Don't drag yourselves into this."

" At least tell us why he wanted to capture you."

" I... don't know myself."

" Huh?"

" This is the first time I've ever encountered this. I mean, his previous invasions never involved trying to capture me."

" Previous invasions?!"

" Don't ask any further. I'm not asking you much but stop asking Aichi for the details. Neither will I say anything."

" We understand. It seems like it hurts you two to say what happened but if you need our help, don't hesitate to ask us for help, alright?"

" It won't be certain."

" Alright."

Aichi suddenly leaned his head on Kai's shoulder as Kai turned to him.

" Aichi? What's wrong?"

" I'm suddenly feeling a little tired..."

" Then you should rest."

" Yeah..."

Aichi closed his eyes soon after as a rainbow glow appeared.

" What's that?!"

" Aichi?!"

Aichi lifted up his head again as he opened his eyes to reveal a rainbow Psyqualia.

" I'm sorry, Toshiki Kai. I'm currently borrowing his body."

" Who are you?!"

" That voice, it can't be... Takuto?! But the Messiah Scramble..."

" I'm staying at that island for a little longer. However, that's not why I'm communicating via Aichi-kun's body. I sensed Void not long ago nearby you. Furthermore, Aichi-kun's Psyqualia seemed to have evolved a little. I came as soon as I sensed the change."

" That was fast..."

" Not just me. I'm sure the other users are concerned. As users of Psyqualia, we can sense changes. Especially if something happens to Aichi-kun... After all, weird things only seem to happen around him."

" Aside from his long term ability to see things we don't... There was something that happened just now."

Kai turned to Akira and the others as Akira nodded.

" You can tell him."

" Then listen carefully, Takuto. I might need you to tell Ren and the others for me. If anything, I want to keep our situation to the bare minimum for now."

" I understand. Then please tell me what has happened to the both of you."

Kai nodded as they explained everything that happened the Metaverse.

" Now that's something new. The Metaverse, huh. And you guys access this place through a special application on your phones."

" That's right."

" Can we really trust a guy that took over Aichi's body?"

" Ryuji!"

" It's fine."

" And besides, the one who gave Psyqualia, the ability that Aichi used to show you guys the image of Cray, to Aichi in the first place was this guy."

" Seriously?!"

" He showed an image of Cray to these people?"

" Yeah. But it felt so real back then. We could all feel like we touched the grass, water and even units there."

" Is that so?"

" Yeah."

" I'm not too much surprise because of his level of imagination. But his Psyqualia... Because of this, his Psyqualia's power peaked very quickly."

" Because he awakened his Persona, his Psyqualia became more powerful?"

" That seems to be the case... In any case, this power is what Void desires. You need to keep Void away from him as much as possible. He cannot fall into Void's hands."

" And then what?"

" I'll come up with a plan but in the meantime, keep in mind of what I said."

" We'll do just that."

" Thank you. I'll be going over to each user to explain the situation so be on alert."

" Yeah."

Takuto nodded as the aura left Aichi's body and Kai caught him from collapsing. Kai laid Aichi back down on the bed as he pulled up the blanket for him while he slept.

" I think we should head on home. The last train might be coming up soon."

" And we were supposed to come out from Shibuya Station but ended up here so I guess we found another passageway."

" Agreed but let's head home first. Kai, can we exchange contacts with you and Aichi? We just want to be kept in update if you two ever need our help."

" ... Alright. And about the Phantom Thieves. I don't think I need Aichi awake to say this but, fine. We'll join if that keeps you guys happy."

" Thank you for believing in us."

" Hmph."

" It's all for Aichi-san's sake, right?"

" Shut up."

They exchanged contacts before heading off.

" We'll add you two to our group chat later then."

" Yeah."

Kai closed and locked the door as he got himself ready for bed. He closed the curtains and went to check on Aichi one last time.

" Goodnight, Aichi."

Kissing Aichi's forehead, Kai got back up to turn the lights off and head to sleep for the night.

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 3! I hope everyone will enjoy this new story! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

The following morning, Kai woke up to the sound of his phone ringing as he groaned. Making sure Aichi was still sleeping, he got up to answer the call.

" Hello...?"

 _" Hey, sorry, buddy. Were you still sleeping? I just called to tell you that the Manager is organising another training camp. I'll message you the date later. I'm pretty sure Aichi doesn't mind coming along, so I'm sure you'll come along too. We can ask those new guys to follow along too. I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone hitting on Aichi once we're at the camp so be sure to come!"_

He hung the call up as Kai sighed in annoyance, he is not going to allow anyone to hit on Aichi on his watch. He checked the time and realised it was still early as he headed back to sleep while cuddling Aichi again. Two hours later, Kai woke up again as he got up to get ready and make breakfast. Soon after he finished making breakfast, he heard Aichi waking up as he finished setting the table before walking over to the bed. Aichi got up while rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes as Kai smiled.

" Morning, sleepyhead. You've been knocked out for quite some time."

" Good morning, Kai-kun..."

" Now, get up and wash yourself up. Breakfast is ready."

" Yeah..."

Aichi stood up as he walked to the bathroom to freshen up. Kai sat on the bed waiting for him to come out as he immediately walked over to Aichi right after he came out of the bathroom and kissed him while Aichi blushed.

" Let's have breakfast now, shall we?"

" Yeah."

Both sat down to have breakfast when their phones vibrated at the same time. They checked their messages after that.

" So we really did join the Phantom Thieves, huh..."

" Mostly. I mean, it's true that we can't handle Void alone."

" You've really changed, Kai-kun."

" It's all thanks to you, Aichi."

" No, it's you yourself that changed. Hey, maybe Akira-san and the others changed your heart."

" I think your joke's too far off... Anyway, seems like we still need to look for the next target."

" I'm not one to know anything about corrupt people lurking around though."

" But you _can_ see things we don't."

" Don't mention that."

" Really, if you do see something that might be related to this, then you need to say something. I'll be worried if you don't."

" Alright..."

" While waiting for them to discuss about the next target, let's lay low for a bit. Miwa contacted me earlier this morning and said that Manager is arranging another training camp."

" I'm in. And we can call the others but when will it be?"

" He did say that he'll give me more details soon. I guess we can head to Card Capital in the meantime."

" Yeah, we should."

Kai got another message as he smirked.

" Well, what do you know? I've got it."

" Really? When is it?"

" Tomorrow. The trip will last for five days which is exactly before school starts up for you."

" W-Wait! Tomorrow?! That's too last minute!"

" We have a whole day to ourselves to pack up though."

" ... Alright. Then we won't go to the shop today. We have a lot of things to do."

" I'll tell Miwa then."

" And I'll tell Futaba-chan and the others. I sure hope they don't mind..."

Both messaged their friends before starting to use the afternoon to pack up and have some lunch. After packing up, they had a few rounds of cardfight and dinner before heading off to bed to prepare for the next day. And the next morning came quickly as both quickly got ready and headed off to Card Capital.

" Everyone!"

" Hey! You guys were almost late!" Naoki shouted

" I'm sorry! I almost overslept again!" Aichi exclaimed

" Typical of you after living with Kai, Aichi..."

" Aichi-san!"

" Futaba-chan! I'm so glad you guys could make it!"

" We were already in the shop when you messaged so we headed home early to pack up."

 _" So you guys are saying that all of you were discussing about the next step inside the shop...? How lucky no one caught that..."_ Kai thought, inwardly sighing

" I wanted to challenge you yesterday! Where did you go?!"

" I'm sorry... We had a lot to pack so we didn't come... But I promise that we'll have plenty of time for that once we head to the training camp."

" Yay!"

" Okay, everyone! I've booked this bus just for today, so everyone, please get on!"

" Yeah!"

They packed their luggage into the bus before getting on. The bus drove off after that as Aichi looked out the window while Kai just sat beside him.

" It's not the first time we're doing this. You seem so excited though."

" I'm just getting the feeling that this'll be fun."

" You sure are one of a kind."

" Huh?"

" It's nothing."

" Hey, no fair! Tell me what you meant!"

" No."

Aichi pouted after that. Miwa just chuckled.

" Those two sure are one of a kind."

" Tell me about it."

After awhile of trying to get Kai to talk, Aichi became tired and leaned on Kai's shoulder to take a nap as Miwa sighed.

" Like I thought, he's becoming more like Kai..."

" You don't say..."

Soon, the long ride caused everyone to fall asleep as the bus drove by the seaside an hour later. The bus finally pulled over and Shin turned to the sleeping group.

" Everyone, we've arrived!"

All of them woke up at the call as they stretched and yawned before getting off the bus to get their lugagges out. Shin led them to where they were accommodating in as they were amazed by the view.

" Wow! What a beautiful scenery!"

" We'll all be staying in those row of cottages."

" A whole row?! That must've been expensive!"

" Not really."

" Huh?"

" I sponsored Card Capital after all." A voice said

Ren and his team walked towards them from the sandy beach.

" Ren-san!"

" Long time no see!"

" You sponsored Card Capital?"

" That's right. This whole resort is under the Foo Fighter's Headquarters. It is also for the Fukuhara High's students to have their camps too. So this whole resort is exclusively for us."

" Amazing!"

" One has to wonder where he got all that money from..."

" True... Even if he has a whole building and even built a school, one has to wonder how he got funded for all of them..." Miwa sighed

" Oh? I see new faces. New friends, Aichi-kun?"

" Yes! I'll introduce to you. This is Ren Suzugamori, Asaka Narumi and Tetsu Shinjou. Huh? Kyou-kun didn't come today?"

" I tried to ask but he refused."

" I see... Then, Ren-san, this is Akira Kurusu, Ann Takamaki, Ryuji Sakamoto, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura and Haru Okumura."

" Hello."

" Hello to all of you too. And once again, welcome. Well, now that all the introductions have been set aside, I'll tell everyone where their rooms are and then we can all have fun!"

Aichi and the others sweat dropped.

" Now, now! Let's all go now!"

Ren went behind Aichi and started pushing him along as the others followed.

" Hey, Ren! Don't keep pushing Aichi!"

" Wait for us!"

Akira and the others just sweat dropped before following after them. Once their assigned rooms have been set and they unpacked their stuff, after that, each went to do whatever they wanted. Some went to the beach while others went to the main building of the resort to meet up to have fights. Akira and the others went to the main building and were amazed again.

" I didn't think there'll be reception here too..."

Ren suddenly came from behind them as they jumped a little.

" It's not exactly a reception. This building has our very own Vanguard Room for our fights, dining hall, kitchen and living room for all of us to interact. We also have the outdoor version just close by."

" Amazing..."

" Come on. I'll guide you to the others."

" Thank you."

Ren led them to the Vanguard Room as they were amazed once again by the technology inside the room.

" What are those?!"

" Those are Motion Figure Systems. They're made specifically for Vanguard fights."

" What do they do?"

" Look over there."

They looked over to where he was pointing at as they saw images of units fighting each other with Aichi facing Naoki in a fight.

" An image?! In real life?!"

" That's right. That's what the system is for. They bring Vanguard fights to life and make it more fun."

They continued to watch the fight as the fight finally ended in Aichi's win.

" I lost again!"

" It was fun fight, Naoki-kun."

" Alright! I'll make sure to win the next time! Shingo, you're up next!"

" Just what I wanted!"

As both started their fight, Aichi walked up the stairs and to Kai as Kai smiled.

" That was a great fight out there."

" It was a close match."

" Aichi-san!"

" Akira-kun and the others! You guys finished getting used to here?"

" A little. This is amazing though."

" Yeah, it is. By the way, I heard you guys were done picking decks out. So what did you guys choose?"

" For me, I got the Narukami deck!"

" In my preference with art, I found interest in the Great Nature deck. They displayed a most artistic side of their own."

 _" Because they have painting involved?"_ Kai thought, inwardly sweat dropping

" You know me! I'm sticking with this amazing Oracle deck you picked out for me!"

" And I did mention it before. I liked the Dimenson Police the moment I saw their justice in the image you showed."

" I picked the Bermuda Triangle! The mermaids are just so cute!"

 _" Like Emi, huh..."_ Aichi thought, sweat dropping

" And I picked Oracle Think Tank too. However, instead of the Magus series, the Witch series caught my interest too. They had a mysterious elegance behind them."

" And what about Akira-kun?"

" Well, I..."

" He was stumped, so we picked it out for him. A Gold Paladin deck."

" Gold Paladin, huh... Yes, that seems suitable. Don't you think so?"

" Yeah. The others helped me out a lot in deciding for my deck too."

" I'm glad everyone likes their picks. Why don't we test out your decks on a slightly smaller scale first? The system might still be too overwhelming."

" We don't mind."

" Great. Once everyone is more familiar with the game and your clans, we can start playing here with everyone else."

" Right."

They went into a smaller playing area as both Aichi and Kai explained the main points of how their different clans and builds work before playing a few fights to get them used to the game.

" You guys learn fast. So how is everyone else coping?"

" We're all good here!"

" That's great. Well, before heading to the other room though, we need to have lunch soon. Ren-san decided that kitchen duty will be left to Kai-kun and I, unless we want an outdoor cooking but we'll save it for tomorrow."

" I want something delicious like Sojiro's curry!"

" Sojiro?"

" He's the boss of my part time job. She's the daughter."

" Is that so? We won't be having curry today but we'll try to cook up something with similar taste. Does that sound good?"

" Yeah!"

Both headed to the kitchen after that as they looked at the ingredients available.

" Hm... Unless we want a barbeque tomorrow, we can just make normal stew to save up but if we want to do outdoor cooking, then..."

" I think there's plenty to cook for lunch today. I'll cook fried rice with crab meat sauce."

" That's a great idea! Then I'll make some side dishes."

" Maybe a soup as a side. The fried rice is a heavy meal already."

" Okay. Leave that to me."

" Yeah."

They took out the ingredients and put on their aprons after that.

" Oh, right. What about Morgana?"

" Just fish will be fine right? He's just a cat after all."

" We do have some fish in the fridge. I don't know whether he likes it raw or cooked though."

" Cooked is fine with me." A voice said

They jumped a little as Morgana hopped on the counter.

" Morgana!"

" I was getting bored and walked around the beach for a bit. Then I heard lunch was being cooked, I can't help but want to watch."

" Wash your paws off first at least. You shouldn't bring sand into the kitchen. You're going to get it all over the place."

" You can ask Futaba-chan and the others to help out while we get ready. Kai-kun is really particular when it comes to cooking."

" Oh, alright... But it better be delicious."

" Don't worry, I'll make sure it's cooked to your liking. Now go wash up."

Morgana hopped down from the counter and walked out of the kitchen after that.

" He sure is cute. Too bad Assista-Cat couldn't come."

" Well, yeah... I wonder what Manager always leaves it with to go by with all these trips."

" Probably canned cat food."

" Yeah."

Aichi cleaned the counter and floor where Morgana had stepped on with sandy paws before quickly going to make the soup. Once he finished cutting the ingredients and made the soup, he set the fire down to low before going to prepare the fish for Morgana. He steamed the fish after washing it. Kai was frying the rice and sauce while setting each one into individual plates. Aichi checked on his soup and tasted it before pouring them into individual bowls. He checked on Morgana's fish too and put it inside a plate as well.

" I'll go set the table then."

" Yeah. Once I'm done with these last few plates, bring them out too."

" Okay."

Aichi quickly set the table as he laid out the soups before taking the fried rice from the kitchen and setting them down as well. He placed Morgana's plate on the floor next to the table. Kai came out of the kitchen after that.

" That was fast."

" Yeah. I help my Mother and Emi at times."

" Now that everything is ready, let's call everyone."

" Yeah!"

They took off their aprons and hung them back in the kitchen before going to the rooms where the others were.

" Everyone! Lunch is ready!"

" Yeah!"

Kai had called Akira and the others from the other room as they headed to the dining hall and sat down.

" Woah, fried rice!"

" There's even crab meat with the sauce and soup!"

" Man, it's been some time since I had some of this! Kai was stingy after letting Aichi move in..." Miwa muttered

Kai smacked his head as he winced while Aichi sweat dropped.

" Now, everyone! Enjoy your dinner!"

" Yeah! Thanks for the food!"

" It's delicious!"

" And I thought Sojiro's curry was good but this is awesome!"

" Yeah! That's agreeable!"

" I'm so glad everyone's enjoying their food."

Aichi and Kai sat down after awhile as they started eating too. Once everyone finished eating, both kept the plates and went to clean them.

" I'm really glad everyone liked the lunch. Morgana seemed to enjoy his fish. Though for a second there, I was worried about my soup."

" It's fine, Aichi. I tasted it too. You've improved a lot and it was delicious."

" Really?!"

" Yeah."

At that, Aichi's face brightened up as they continued cleaning. Once they were finished with cleaning, they headed back to the rooms and fought with Akira and the others again.

" Now, we did say that you guys were ready for the other room, so let's head over right now."

" Yeah!"

They headed to the room with the Motion Figure System as they suddenly saw a fight happening.

" Aqua Force?"

" That means..."

" Hey, Sendou, Kai."

They turned to see Leon.

" Leon-kun!"

" It's been some time."

" Yeah. But why are you here?"

" Suzugamori invited me. Well, at first, I didn't want to come. But when I heard you guys were coming, then I agreed."

" I-I see..."

" Anyway, I heard from Takuto."

Leon looked over their shoulder to see Akira and the others.

" I won't pry into further details yet but I just want you to act cautiously, Sendou."

" I know. Don't worry."

" That's good to hear. Jillian and Sharlene are having their own fights so do anyone of you two want to fight me?"

" I will."

" Fine. Then we'll be fighting over there if you need us."

" Yeah."

Kai and Leon walked to one of the fight tables as they started their match while Aichi sweat dropped.

" Some things never change..."

" Who's he?"

" He's Leon Souryu. And you see the twin girls having their matches over there? Those are his childhood friends, Jillian Chen and Sharlene Chen."

" Childhood friends?"

" It's a really long story, to be honest... Maybe Leon-kun will tell you about it one day."

" Why not now?"

" Hm? ... I think some things are better told by the person themselves. After all, their experience is better felt when they say it themselves."

" That's true..."

" ... Hey, Aichi-san."

" Yeah?"

" You said experience is better felt when the person who experienced it says it himself. I know Kai told us not to ask anything but... Could you at least tell us a little bit about Void?"

Aichi stayed silent for awhile while watching the others still having their fights. He sighed after that.

" Let's talk somewhere else. The others won't like it if they hear this."

They went to the dining room as they sat down while making sure no one else was around.

" Void's recent invasion involved all of us back there. It... was a bit of a shocker, really. Void's first invasion didn't impact us as much as this recent one after all."

" What happened?"

" I heard from Kai that my Shadow talked about how he's trying to make amends with me."

" Yeah."

" Well, it's... it's because he was the one who helped Void and its agent."

" Huh?!"

" But he..."

" ... He yearned for strength and power. I guess it was my fault too... He felt that I got so strong that he couldn't surpass me anymore... At that point, any power was worth it if it means surpassing me. But when he relaxed his mistakes, I guess it was already too late for him to think any further. The real reason for doing so much to protect me is because... He... He almost took my life away."

" W-Wait a minute! Your life?! But he likes you, doesn't he?!"

" He does but we didn't ascertain our feelings back then. Back then, I had lost to him. Losing to a Reversed fighter means that you join them, but resisting that power is another story. It drains your soul and energy to the point that you could die. He didn't know... I guess he'd only wanted me with him back then. His uncertainty in his feelings got the better of him and he had thought that if he'd won, I'd just be there with him. But he didn't count on my resistance..."

" And that's when he regretted it?"

" Yes, so to be honest, he didn't directly tried to take my life away, instead he didn't know and almost did it. That's why after everything was over, he didn't let it go by just like that. He always thought that this was his sin and that he'll always carry it as long as he lives. That's why he promised to always make sure no harm comes to me, even if it means throwing away his life. I tried telling him it wasn't his fault but he never listened. That's why we don't bring this up so often... It's better if everyone don't keep recalling it. So just don't mention that I said this you guys, alright? He might get angry that you asked."

" Don't worry, we won't."

" Thank you."

Aichi stood up as he went to the entrance.

" Where are you going?"

" You guys can go ahead to have some fun. I need some fresh air. I'll come back soon, so don't worry about me."

" Alright..."

Aichi walked out of the building as he went to the beach and sat down on a bench under a beach umbrella. He started to stare off into space while watching the sea. Akira and the others just looked at each other in worry as an hour passed with Aichi still at the same spot.

" Hey, he hasn't moved for an hour already."

" Maybe it really was a bad idea to ask."

" But we needed to know what we're up against..."

" Yes, but still..."

Suddenly, drops of rain fell as a heavy rainfall began to pour.

" Rain again?! It was sunny too..."

" It better not be you again, Yusuke."

" I'll try not to tomorrow."

Kai came out after that as he looked around.

" Oh, it's you guys. Have you seen Aichi anywhere?"

" Uh..."

Kai looked over their shoulders as he saw Aichi still sitting under the umbrella with a distant look.

" What's he doing over there?"

Kai quickly grabbed a nearby umbrella as he wore his sandals. He was about to make his way out when he then looked closer at Aichi's eyes and paused for awhile.

" Uh, Kai-san, we..."

" ... Don't say anything. There's only one occasion he's like this. I don't need to be an idiot to figure out why he's here with you guys even if he asked you guys to keep silent."

Kai opened the umbrella and made his way to Aichi as he tapped his shoulder. Aichi blinked as he looked up at Kai.

" Kai-kun."

" You're going to catch a cold out here, Aichi."

" I know... I just needed some fresh air..."

" Then have some fresh air when it's on a better weather. Let's go back in."

" Not yet..."

Kai sighed as he sat down beside Aichi and pushed his head onto his shoulder.

" Then let's head back to our room. At least it's better than being here."

" ... Okay."

Kai helped Aichi up to his feet as he put his jacket around his shoulders. Both went back to their cottage as Kai waited for Aichi to take a shower. Once he came out, Kai helped to dry his hair while he looked at Aichi to see the distant look still visible in his eyes.

" You told them, didn't you?"

" A little..."

" Aichi, I don't think I like the thoughts that are running through your head."

" You can tell?"

" How long have I've known and loved you for to not notice? You don't need to blame yourself. This is what I decided for myself."

" But..."

" It's final, Aichi. I promise, I won't get mad at those guys for asking you but you have to promise me to stop blaming yourself. If the others saw you like this, what would they think? ... Take a good rest, Aichi. You need it right now."

" What about you? And we still have dinner to prepare..."

" Let me handle that. Right now, I just want you to focus on taking a break from the negativity in your mind. I'll stay here until you sleep."

" ... Alright."

Kai smiled as he laid Aichi down on the bed and waited for him to fall asleep. Once Aichi had fallen asleep, Kai covered his jacket over him while pulling up the blankets.

" I'll be back soon. Rest well, Aichi."

Kai kissed his cheek gently before going to close the door of their cottage behind him and opening the umbrella to walk back to the building. He closed the umbrella the moment he reached the entrance as he hung it to dry. Akira and the others stood up from their seats.

" Kai-san, uh..."

" I'm not going to get angry that you guys asked him. You're lucky only I found him like this. The others won't let you guys off so easily if they knew. I'm only doing this for Aichi's sake and the fact that we promised to not enclose your secret about the Phantom Thieves. After all, you guys wouldn't be asking these things if you were just some normal person."

" R-Right..."

Kai sighed as he looked at the time.

" We still have a few more hours before dinner. As promised, you guys get to try out the Motion Figure System. Let's go, we've delayed long enough."

" Y-Yeah!"

They followed him to the room as each took on a fighter.

" Looks like it's you and me, Kurusu."

" Yeah..."

" Don't worry, your teammates will do well with all that training. You just focus on your fight with me."

" Right."

" Huh? Aichi's not here?"

" I brought him back to our cottage. He was looking pretty exhausted."

" Really? He looked fine this afternoon."

" And I'm saying that he's tired now, do you have a problem with that?"

" N-No..."

" Let's start the fights already."

" Yeah!"

Makoto was going against Naoki. Ryuji was going against Leon. Yusuke was going against Ren. Futaba was going against Misaki. Haru was going against Kamui. Ann was going against Asaka.

" Ready?"

" Yeah!"

" Stand up..."

" My!"

" The!"

" Vanguard!"

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 4! I hope everyone will enjoy this new story! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

\- Kai and Akira's match-

" Lizard Soldier, Fargo!"

" Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer!"

" Draw! Ride the Vanguard! Dragon Monk, Gojo! Fargo moves back. Gojo's skill! I discard one card and draw one. Turn end."

" Draw! I ride Scout of Darkness, Vortimer! Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer's skill! I look at the top seven cards of my deck and put a Spectral Duke Dragon or a Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer into my hand. Spectral Duke Dragon. Scout of Darkness, Vortimer's skill! When there's a Black Dragon Whelp, Vortimer in my Soul, he'll always have +1000 power. Vortimer attacks!"

" No guard."

" Drive check. No trigger."

" Damage check. No trigger."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Ann and Asaka's match-

" Silver Thorn Assistant, Ionela!"

" Duo Lovers Singer, Darling!"

" Draw! I ride Silver Thorn Assistant, Irina! Ionela moves back. Irina's skill. I look at the top two cards of my deck. I put one unit into the soul and the other to the bottom. Turn end."

" Draw. I ride Duo Petite Etoile, Peace! Darling moves back. I attack with Peace!"

" No guard."

" Drive trigger check. No trigger."

" Damage check. Nothing here either."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Ryuji and Leon's match-

" Blue Storm Cadet, Anos!"

" Exorcist Mage, Dan Dan!"

" Draw. I ride Wheel Assault! Anos moves back. Turn end."

" Draw! I ride Lizard Soldier, Ryoshin! Dan Dan moves back. I attack you with Ryoshin! His skill! He gets +3000 power!"

" No guard."

" Drive trigger check. No trigger."

" Damage check. Draw trigger. I draw one card."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Yusuke and Ren's match-

" Judgebau Revenger!"

" Blackboard Parrot!"

" Draw. I ride Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter! Judgebau moves back. Turn end."

" Draw. I ride Coiling Duckbill! I move Blackboard Parrot back. And I attack."

" No guard!"

" Drive trigger check. Stand trigger! Power to Duckbill and I stand Blackboard Parrot."

" Damage check. No trigger here."

" I end my turn."

* * *

\- Makoto and Naoki's match-

" Brawler, Fighting Dracokid!"

" Enigman Flow!"

" Draw! I ride Brawler, Wildclock Dragon! Fighting Dracokid moves back! Turn end!"

" Draw! I ride Enigma Ripple! Enigman Flow's skill. I search my deck for an Enigman Wave and add it to my hand. And my Vanguard attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Drive check. Critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard!"

" Damage check! Second check! No trigger."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Futaba and Misaki's match-

" Regalia of Prayers, Pray Angel!"

" Semilunar Magus!"

" Draw! I ride Purification Regalia, Pure Angel! Pray Angel moves back. Turn end."

" Draw! I ride Crescent Magus! I move Semilunar Magus back and call Circle Magus! Her skill! I look at the top card! I'll put it on the bottom. Stellar Magus attacks!"

" No guard."

" Drive trigger check! No trigger."

" Damage check. Critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard!"

" Not enough power... Turn end."

* * *

\- Haru and Kamui's match-

" Energyraizer!"

" Little Witch, Lulu!"

" Draw! The great Kamui rides Tankraizer! Energyraizer moves back! Turn end!"

" Draw! I ride Emerald Witch, Lala! And then I call Weather Girl, Milk! Lala attacks your Vanguard! With Milk's skill, the boosted power gets +4000 power!"

" No guard!"

" Drive trigger check! No trigger."

" Damage check! No trigger!"

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Kai and Akira's match-

" Stand and draw. Ride the Vanguard! Dragon Knight, Nehalem! Attack!"

" No guard!"

" Check the drive trigger! I got a critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard!"

" Damage check... Second check. No trigger."

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw! I ride Black Dragon Knight, Vortimer! With his skill, if I have a Scout of Darkness, Vortimer in my Soul, this unit will always have +1000 power. I call Player of the Holy Bow, Viviane and Listener of Truth, Dindrane! Viviane attacks!"

" Guard."

" Vortimer attacks! Drive check! Draw trigger! I give all effects to my Vanguard and draw!"

" Check the damage trigger. No trigger."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Ann and Asaka's match-

" Stand and draw. Now, let's have the curtains rise for the second act. I ride Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Maricica! I call Silver Thorn, Rising Dragon and Silver Thorn, Breathing Dragon! Breathing Dragon attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Maricia attacks! Drive check. Critical trigger. Power to Rising Dragon and critical to Vanguard!"

" Damage check! Second check! Heal trigger! Power to my Vanguard and I heal one damage!"

" Ionela's skill. When her boosted attack hits, I look at the top two cards of my deck and put one card to the Soul and the other to the bottom. Rising Dragon!"

" Guard!"

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw! I ride Duo Falling Heart, Quancy! I call Duo Kelpie Jockey, Syr Darya! Syr Darya attacks Breathing Dragon!"

" No guard."

" Quancy attacks! Drive check! Draw trigger! All effects to my Vanguard and I draw!"

" Damage check. A draw trigger here too. I draw one card."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Ryuji and Leon's match-

" Stand and draw. I ride Blue Storm Marine General, Starless! I call Blue Storm Marine General, Gregorios and Blue Storm Marine General, Ianis! Gregorios attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Starless attacks! Drive check. Stand trigger! Power to Ianis and I stand Gregorios. Ianis attacks!" Leon declared

" No guard!"

" Since his attack hits, I draw one card. Gregorios attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw! I ride Dragonic Deathscythe! Counterblast! I retire Gregorios! Deathscythe attacks!"

" No guard."

" Drive check! Heal trigger! I recover one damage and power to my Vanguard!"

" Damage check. No trigger."

" Turn end!"

* * *

\- Yusuke and Ren's match-

" Stand and draw. I ride Blaster Dark Revenger "Abyss"! I call Nullity Revenger, Masquerade. Blaster Dark "Abyss" attacks!"

" No guard."

" Drive check. Draw trigger! I give all effects to Masquerade and draw. Masquerade attacks!"

" Damage check. No trigger."

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw. I ride Compass Lion! I call Melodica Cat and Coiling Duckbill! Coiling Duckbill's skill. I give a skill to Melodica Cat. Melodica Cat attacks Masquerade with a boost from Coiling Duckbill!"

" No guard."

" Compass Lion attacks your Vanguard! Drive trigger check. No trigger."

" Damage check. Nothing here either."

" At the beginning of my end phase, I retire Melodica Cat. Coiling Duckbill's skill activates. When Melodica Cat is retired during the beginning of end phase, I draw one card. Melodica Cat's skill. When he's retired at the beginning of end phase, I superior call Recorder Dog! Turn end."

* * *

\- Makoto and Naoki's match-

" Stand and draw! I ride Brawler, Big Bang Slash Buster! I call Brawler, Big Bang Slash Dragon and Brawler, Wildclock Dragon! Wildclock attacks your Vanguard!"

" No guard!"

" Big Bang Slash Buster! Drive check! Critical trigger! Power to Big Bang Slash and critical to my Vanguard!"

" Damage check... Second check! Heal trigger! Power to my Vanguard and I heal one damage!"

" Big Bang Slash attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw! I ride Enigman Wave! Enigman Wave's skill activates! If I have an Enigman Ripple in my Soul, it'll always get +1000 power! I call Glory Maker! I attack your Vanguard with a boost from Glory Maker! Drive trigger check! Critical trigger! I give all effects to my Vanguard!"

" Damage check! Second check... No trigger."

" Enigman Wave's skill activates! When its attack hits and its power is 14000 or more, I draw one card! Turn end."

* * *

\- Futaba and Misaki's match-

" Stand and draw. I ride Regalia of Fate, Norn! I call Twilight Regalia, Hesperis! Hesperis attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Norn attacks! Drive check! Stand trigger! All effects to Hesperis and stand her! Hesperis attacks once more!"

" No guard!"

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw! I ride Stellar Magus! I call Cuore Magus! She attacks Hesperis!"

" No guard."

" Stellar Magus attacks! Drive check. No trigger."

" Damage check. Nothing here either."

" Stellar Magus' skill! When the attack hits, I can declare the top card! ... Crescent Magus!'

Futaba flipped the top card but it was Psychic Bird.

" That's not it..."

" Don't worry, it's just the beginning."

" Right! Turn end!"

* * *

\- Haru and Kamui's match-

" I stand and draw! The great Kamui rides Ultimate Raizer Dual-flare! I call Phoenix Raizer Flame-wing! Flame-wing attacks! Skill activated! If I have a Raizer in the Vanguard Circle, he gets +3000 power!"

" No guard."

" Ultimate Raizer Dual-flare attacks! Drive check! No trigger."

" Damage check. No trigger either."

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw. I ride Oracle Guardian, Wiseman! Wiseman attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Drive check. Draw trigger! I give all effects to Wiseman and draw."

" Damage check. No trigger."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Akira and Kai's match-

" Stand and draw. Ride the Vanguard! Burn everything in this world to ash with your apocalyptic fire! Dragonic Overlord! I call Dragonic Burnout and Burning Horn Dragon! Burnout's skill! I return a Overlord card from the drop zone back to the bottom of my deck and I retire Viviane!"

" The Dragonic Overlord that you discarded from Gojo's skill!"

" That's right. Burnout attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Dragonic Overlord! Burn everything to ash! Twin drive check! Second check! I got a heal trigger! I heal one damage and power to Burning Horn!"

" Damage check... Critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard!"

" Burning Horn attacks! His skill gives him +3000 power!"

" Guard!"

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw. I'm afraid to ask but are you still mad about just now?"

" Hmph. There's nothing to be mad about. A fight reveals everything about a fighter. Remember that."

 _" So you are angry..."_ Akira thought

" I ride Conviction Dragon, Chromejailer Dragon! Chromejailer Dragon's skill! Persona Blast! I superior call Flash Edge Valkyrie and Little Battler, Tron! Flash Edge Valkyrie's skill! I superior call Blade Feather Valkyrie! I also call Silver Fang Witch! I use her Soulblast to draw one card! Limit Break! I retire Silver Fang and Dindrane and Chromejailer gets +10000 power and +1 critical! I call Blessing Owl! I give +2000 to Flash Edge! Flash Edge attacks Burning Horn!"

" Burnout intercepts."

" Chromejailer Dragon attacks! Drive check! Stand trigger! Power to Flash Edge and stand her! Second check! Heal trigger! I give the power to Blessing Owl and I heal one damage!"

" Damage check. Second check. I got a draw trigger. I draw one card and give the power to Overlord."

" Boosted by Blade Feather, Flash Edge attacks!

" No guard."

" Blade Feather's skill! When her boosted attack with Flash Edge hits, I get to superior call the top card of my deck! Gigantic Pillar Fighter! Boosted by Blessing Owl, Gigantic Pillar Fighter attacks! His skill gives him another +1000 power!"

" Guard."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Ann and Asaka's match-

" Stand and draw. Now, let the third act begin! When your whip of thorns cracks, even dragons fall to their knees! I ride Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier! Since you prevented my Limit Break this turn, let's have a small Soul festival. I call Silver Thorn Assistant, Zelma and Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Ana! Zelma's skill. I put her into the Soul and superior call a unit! Come on the stage once more, Maricica! I call Irina and her skill activates. I put one card into the Soul and the other card to the bottom."

" A full field in an instant!"

" Now, let us begin our performance! Rising Dragon attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Ana's skill. Since her boosted attack hits the Vanguard, I counterblast one to superior call Silver Thorn, Upright Lion from the Soul! Upright Lion attacks!"

" Intercept!"

" Luquier attacks! Twin drive, first check... Second check... Critical trigger! I give the power to Maricica and critical to Luquier!"

" Damage check! First check! Second check! No trigger..."

" Maricica attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Turn end. Upright Lion returns to the Soul."

" Stand and draw. I ride Duo True Sister, Meer! I call Syr Darya, Duo Petite Etoile, Peace, Duo Shiny Tone, Cikola and Duo Falling Heart, Quancy! Quancy attacks Maricica!"

" No guard."

" Meer attacks! Her skills gives her +2000 power!"

" No guard."

" Twin drive check! Critical trigger! I give the power to Syr Darya and the critical to Meer!"

" Damage check. Second check. No trigger."

" Syr Darya attacks!"

" No guard."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Ryuji and Leon's match-

" Stand and draw. You have a fierce wind, just like Naoki Ishida but there's some difference between you and him."

" Huh?"

" You'll understand eventually. Savage wind! Become a shock wave and awaken the blue dragon! I ride Blue Storm Wave Dragon, Tetra-burst Dragon! I call Gregorios! Gregorios attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Tetra-burst Dragon attacks! Twin drive check! Second check! No trigger."

" Damage check... No trigger."

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw! I ride Sealed Demon Dragon, Dungaree! His skill! When I ride him, I bind the top two cards of my deck. I call Whirlwind Axe Wielding Exorcist Knight! He attacks Gregorios! His skill activates! If I have a 'Dungaree'' Vanguard, he gets +3000 power!"

" Ianis intercepts."

" Dungaree attacks! Twin drive check! Second check! No trigger."

" Damage check. No trigger."

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Yusuke and Ren's match-

" Stand and draw. Now I remember where I heard your name, Kitagawa-kun. But I won't pry into your past. I saw your latest artwork. 'Desire', was it?"

" Yes. To me, it's one of my best artwork."

" Is that so? I think it would look nicer if you add a little touch to it."

" Hm? What are you getting at?"

" Not trying to criticize it, Kitagawa-kun. But you know, when I saw your work, it reminded me of something of the past. But the problem is... That's all. You're reminding people of the dark past. Maybe you should have a reference."

" ... A reference?"

" Yeah. I'll tell you later. First... Screaming despair in the chaotic silence! Give me the power of darkness from the shadows through which not even visions can be seen! Ride... Revenger, Phantom Blaster "Abyss"! I call Dark Cloak Revenger, Tartu! Tartu's Counterblast! I superior call Transient Revenger, Masquerade! Tartu attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Revenger, Phantom Blaster "Abyss" attacks! Twin drive check. Second check. I got a heal trigger. Power to my Vanguard and I heal one damage."

" Damage check! No trigger..."

" Turn end!"

" Stand and draw. No one offends my art and gets away with it. I'll win this!"

" You can try. But what I said is true."

" I ride Magic Scientist, Tester Fox! I call Binoculus Tiger and Geograph Giant! Binoculus Tiger attacks Tartu with a boost from Recorder Dog! His skill! I give Coiling Duckbill +4000 power!"

" No guard."

" Tester Fox attacks your Vanguard! Binoculus Tiger's skill once more! I give Coiling Duckbill the power! Twin drive check! Second check! Critical trigger! I give power to Geograph and the critical to my Vanguard!"

" Damage check. Second check. I got a critical trigger. All effects to my Vanguard."

" Geograph attacks! Binoculus Tiger's skill activates again! I give +4000 power to Coiling Duckbill!"

" No guard."

" End phase. I retire Coiling Duckbill with Binoculars Tiger's skill. Turn end."

* * *

\- Makoto and Naoki's match-

" Stand and draw! Scorching soul! Smash everything with your steel fists! I ride Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Buster! Here I go! Wildclock attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Big Bang Knuckle Buster attacks your Vanguard! Twin drive... Second check! Heal trigger! I give the power to Big Bang Slash Dragon and I heal one damage! Big Bang Slash Dragon attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Turn end!"

" Stand and draw. I ride Enigman Storm! With Wave in the Soul, Enigman Storm gets an extra +1000 power at all times! I call Enigman Wave and Masked Police, Grander! Grander attacks Big Bang Slash!"

" Guard!"

" Enigman Storm attacks with a boost from Glory Maker! When Enigman Storm's power is 15000 and above, it gets an extra critical!"

" Perfect guard!"

" Twin drive check! Second check! Draw trigger! Power to Wave and I draw an extra card! Enigman Wave attacks your Vanguard!"

" No guard!"

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Futaba and Misaki's match-

" Stand and draw. Warrior imbued with the power of a god, all bow down before that noble power! I ride Regalia of the Cosmos, CEO Yggdrasil! I call Regalia of Fate, Norn and Regalia of Abundance, Freya. Norn attacks Cuore Magus!"

" No guard!"

" CEO Yggdrasil attacks! Twin drive check! Second check! Draw trigger! I give the power to Freya and draw one card! Freya attacks!"

" No guard!"

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw! ... I don't really have the break ride so... I ride Pentagonal Magus! I call Circle Magus and look at the top card! I'll leave it at the top. Semilunar Magus's skill! I declare the top card of my deck! Tetra Magus! Since it's correct, I draw two cards and Semilunar Magus goes into the Soul. I call another Pentagonal Magus, Circle Magus and Cuore Magus! Once more, Circle Magus's skill. I'll leave it at the top. Pentagonal Magus' Limit Break! I declare the top card of my deck and if it's correct, Pentagonal Magus gets +5000 power and an extra critical! Psychic Bird! It's correct so I gain the power and critical."

" Nicely done."

" My rear guard Pentagonal Magus attacks Freya!"

" Norn intercepts!"

" My Vanguard attacks!"

" Perfect guard!"

" Twin drive... I got a critical trigger! I'll give all effects to Cuore Magus! Second check! No trigger... Cuore Magus attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Haru and Kamui's match-

" I stand and draw! A flash of light that pierces the darkness of space! The great Kamui rides Ultimate Raizer Mega-flare! Flame-wing attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Mega-flare attacks! Twin drive check! Second check! Critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard!"

" Damage check... Second check. No trigger."

" Turn end."

" Stand and draw. I ride Scarlet Witch, Coco! Lulu's skill! I call her out from the Soul and Soulblast two cards! Then I draw a card! Coco's skill! If my Soul is empty, I can Counterblast and draw two cards! I call Battle Sister, Glace and she attacks Flame-wing!"

" No guard!"

" Coco attacks with a boost from Milk!"

" No guard!"

" Twin drive... I got a critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard! Second check! Critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard again!"

" Damage check! Second check! Third check! Draw trigger! All effects to my Vanguard and I draw!"

" Turn end."

* * *

\- Akira and Kai's match-

" Stand and draw. It's time to end this match. Final Turn! Your form changes once more as you rise in crimson flames! Behold, the purgatory flames of rage! Break Ride the Vanguard! Dragonic Overlord the 'X'! The 'X' gets +10000 power and a skill! Seek the mate! Fight alongside your mate, Dragonic Overlord 'The End'! Legion! Legion skill. I search my deck for the 'X' and add it toy hand. I call one more Burning Horn! Dragonic Overlord the 'X' and 'The End'... Attack Gigantic Pillar!"

" No guard!"

" Check the twin drive... Second check. Critical trigger! Critical to my Vanguard and power to my right Burning Horn! Break ride skill! I discard two cards and stand my Vanguard! Attack his Vanguard, Legion!"

" Perfect guard!"

" Check the twin drive! I got a critical trigger! All effects to my right Burning Horn! Second check! Critical trigger! All effects to my right Burning Horn once more! It's not over yet. I discard the 'X' from my hand and Counterblast! I retire Flash Edge and Blade Feather! My left Burning Horn attacks!"

" Guard!"

" It's over. My right Burning Horn attacks your Vanguard!"

" ... No guard."

The last damage fell into Akira's damage zone and the match ended.

" You've done well adapting to this."

" Uh, thanks."

* * *

\- Ann and Asaka's match-

" Stand and draw. Looks like we're tied in damage. Then let's end this right now. Let's raise the curtains for the final act! When her whip of thorns cracks, all dragons and servants fall to their knees! Crossride! Silver Thorn Dragon Empress, Venus Luquier! With Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier in the Soul, Venus Luquier gets +2000 power at all times. And... Show her your power as the empress! Venus Luquier, Limit Break! Counterblast! I soulcharge two cards and from the Soul, I superior call units! Upright Lion, Rising Lion, Irina, Zelma and Ana! Come up on stage once more! Ionela retires."

" No way... The whole field is..."

" Upright Lion's skill! For each unit I call out from the Soul, it gets +3000 power! A total power of +12000! Irina's skill! I look at the top two cards of my deck. I put one into the soul and the other to the bottom. Rising Dragon, attack the Vanguard with a boost from Ana!"

" Guard!"

" Venus Luquier attacks!"

 _" I have a perfect guard but against Upright Lion in the next attack... No choice..."_ Ann thought

" No guard..."

" Twin drive... Second check. Critical trigger. Power to Upright Lion and critical to Venus Luquier!"

The last damage fell into the damage zone after that.

" I lost..."

" It wasn't bad for the first time. But you should keep working on your strategy. Just depending on Legion won't work."

" Yeah."

* * *

\- Ryuji and Leon's match-

" Stand and draw. It seems like it'll be over soon. Beware. The wind will blow four times from now on! Whirling wind and surging wave! Call forth a fierce storm and bring down blue judgment upon the one who incurs your wrath! Seek my mate! I'll give the name of the blue storm to that noble water general! Blue Storm Marine General, Starless! Legion! I call Border and two Zaharius. Anos goes into the Soul and give a skill to my Vanguard. The first time. Gregorios attacks your rear guard!"

" No guard!"

" Second time. With a boost from Border, Zaharius attacks your Vanguard!"

" No guard!"

" Border's skill! I switch Gregorios and the other Zaharius' places. The second Zaharius attacks! That's the third time."

" Guard!"

" The fourth wind... is going to be a storm! Legion attacks! Legion skill! Counterblast! If it's the fourth or greater turn, they get +5000 power and an extra critical. Tetra-burst's own skill gives them another +3000 power! Anos' skill given to Legion! Counterblast! I draw and retire Dan Dan!"

" No guard..."

" Twin drive... Second check. I got a draw trigger. Power to Legion and draw."

" Damage check... Second check... No trigger."

The last damage fell into his damage zone after that.

" It was a heated battle but of course, your deck needs a bit more work."

" Yeah, I'll work on it and beat you one day!"

" And you're welcome to challenge me again once you do."

* * *

\- Yusuke and Ren's match-

" Stand and draw. I call Fighting Spirit Revenger, Macart and Nullity Revenger, Masquerade. Let's end this and I'll talk to you all about that painting of yours. Final Turn! People who know each other in a world without light, give me the power to connect souls born into a world of darkness! Seek the mate! The power of a bond born in a hateful hell. Communion of dark knights who wound and stab each other! Line up, you who would never stand in a line! Legion! Macart's skill. I superior call Transient Revenger, Masquerade as rest. Ready?"

" As ready as you are."

" Good. Macart attacks Binoculars Tiger!"

" No guard."

" With a boost from Judgebau, Legion! Twin swords of darkness that even cut through bonds! Attack Tester Fox!"

" Perfect guard!"

" Twin drive check. Second check. Critical trigger. I give all effects to my Vanguard. You don't honestly think it's over yet, do you?"

" What?!"

" I retire three of my rear guards. Reign over the battlefield with a sword that's stained with your comrades' blood! Obey the king of tragedy, dark knight! Phantom Blaster Rising!"

" They're standing again?!"

" Once more, Legion attacks!"

" ... No guard."

" Twin drive check. Critical trigger. Critical to my Vanguard and power to Masquerade. Second check. Heal trigger. I heal one damage and power to Masquerade."

" Damage check... Second check... Third check. No trigger."

" That was a great match."

" I guess. So what about that advice about my art?"

" Seems like you're willing to listen. First, let's wait for the others to finish their match."

" Alright then."

* * *

\- Makoto and Naoki's match-

" Stand and draw! Here I go! I'm gonna pack my fist with these two souls! Fill me up and tremble! Make him surrender! Seek mate! King of striking who cuts through the air at a high speed! Brawler, Big Bang Slash Buster! Legion! Legion skill! I put a Big Bang Knuckle card into the Soul and give Big Bang Knuckle Buster +5000 power! And then I can attack four units!"

" Four units?!"

" That's right! I move Wildclock back and I call Wildfist Dragon and Tonfa Brawler, Arc! Wildfist attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Legion attacks all of your units!"

" Perfect guard for Enigman Storm!"

" Twin drive! Critical trigger! All effects goes to Big Bang Slash Dragon! Second check! Draw trigger! All effects to Big Bang Slash and I draw! Big Bang Slash's skill! When my 'Brawler' Vanguard's attack hits a unit, it gets +3000 power! And Arc's skill! For each of your units being placed into the drop zone, he gets +3000 power! Since three units went into the drop zone, that's a total of +9000 power! Big Bang Slash Dragon attacks your Vanguard!"

" No guard..."

The last two damage landed on the damage zone and the match ended.

" Whew! That was close!"

" Yes, it was a fun match."

" Yeah! We should fight sometime!"

" Sure."

* * *

\- Futaba and Misaki's match-

" Stand and draw. Here I go, Futaba-chan! Seek mate! Legion! Freya's skill! When my Vanguard Legions, I Soulcharge three cards and she gets +5000 power! Pray Angel moves into the Soul and Soulcharge another three cards, and I also give +5000 power to my Vanguard. I call Pure Angel and Hemera. I put three cards from the Drop Zone into the Soul with Hemera's skill. Pure Angel's skill. I use a Counterblast to give my Vanguard another +5000 power and a skill. Hemera attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Legion attack! Legion skill! I Soulblast six cards and my opponent cannot guard against this attack with any grade 1 or above cards and they gain an extra critical! Since I Soulblasted two Norns and two Achlis, their skills give Legion +20000 power in total! Hesperis' skill since I Soulblasted her from the Soul, I retire Cuore Magus! With Yggdrasil's skill, the total attacking power also goes up by +3000 power!"

" A total power of 53000 power and I can't use a perfect guard?! ... No guard then..."

" Twin drive check. Second check. No trigger."

" Damage check... Second check... No trigger..."

" That was a great match, Futaba-chan. You've improved since your first time."

" Thanks!"

* * *

\- Haru and Kamui's match-

" Stand and draw! The great Kamui's seek mate! Blue light of a star born in the darkness of space! Magma breathed in and out by a pulsating scarlet star! Explosive descent! Mega-super-ultra-special power! Ultimate Raizer Dual-flare! The great Kamui's Legion! I call two more Dual-flare! I also call Cat Butler, Jetraizer and Battleraizer! Boosted by Cat Butler, my right Dual-flare attacks Glace!"

" No guard."

" Boosted by Battleraizer, my left Dual-flare attacks your Vanguard!"

" Guard!"

" Boosted by Jetraizer, Legion attacks! Legion skill! When they attack and there's four or more rested 'Raizer' units, they gain an extra critical! There are units attached to Legion! When Legion attacks, my Dual-flares will stand and they add +5000 power!"

" Perfect guard!"

" Twin drive! Second check! Critical trigger! All effects to the left Dual-flare! It's not over yet! Cat Butler's skill! When my Legion attack doesn't hit, I retire Cat Butler and stand Legion once more!"

" Three more attacks?!"

" That's right! My right Dual-flare attacks!"

" Guard!"

" My left Dual-flare attacks!"

" Guard!"

" Legion attacks again! Once more, they gain an extra critical!"

" No guard..."

" Twin drive check! Second check! Stand trigger! All effects to the left Dual-flare and I stand it!"

" Damage check... Second check... I lose. That was a great match."

" Yeah! I had fun too!"

" Yes, I did too. Let's do this again when we can."

" Of course! You're welcome to challenge me anytime!"

" Looks like everyone's done with their matches." A voice said

They turned to see Aichi watching them by the railing.

" Aichi? What are you doing here? I thought you were resting."

" I kind of thought everyone would be too into the matches and forgot all about dinner."

" Oh right! It's almost time for dinner!"

" Don't worry. I came back specifically for that. I got Jillian-san and Sharlene-san for help too."

" You're the best, Aichi! But Kai's right... You weren't feelin' well, so you should be restin'."

" I'm alright now. Let's hurry to the dining hall then if everyone has no objections."

" Yeah!"

They headed to the dining hall to see the spread in front of them as they started to dig in. The others were now eating and talking together as Ren bumped Yusuke with his elbow a little.

" So, what kind of image do you see over there?"

Yusuke looked over to where Ren was pointing to as he saw Aichi with Kai beside him while happily talking with his other friends.

" A group of friends happily chatting."

" Not just that. There's a lot more than meets the eye. Look at how everyone is beaming right now compared to that atmosphere in the Vanguard Room."

" Hm, true... They do look more brighter compared to when we were having our matches. Is it because of dinner?"

" No, Kitagawa-kun. It's the matter of who's the center of their attention. Look closely at how everyone is happier around him."

" You're right... I don't see Kai-san smiling this much just now until Aichi-san showed up. And Misaki-san seems brighter too. Not just them, many others around him are getting brighter..."

" You're getting it now. Kitagawa-kun, we've all came from a dark past. You know what? Aichi-kun was the one who dragged us all out of that darkness."

" What do you mean?"

" From what I knew, you've seen his inner heart before. What did it look like?"

" Nothing but light actually. His distortion was a light within the darkness of the Mementos."

" There! That's your answer right there! Put all this together and you get..."

" Aichi-san's the light within everyone's darkness?"

" Bingo! Most of us here were saved from our darkness by Aichi-kun. That's why some of us were a little upset when we heard he wasn't feeling well. He looks past all our darkness and always finds a good within it. So use this as a reference to your artwork. I really think 'Desire' is a good piece but if there's something more you can draw in it, I'm sure it'll look even better. Think about it for a moment. I'm gonna grab myself another dish!"

Ren went to the dining table to grab another dish for dinner as Yusuke stared at Aichi's group for a few more moments before walking over to them.

" Aichi-san."

" Oh, Yusuke-san. Is something wrong?"

" Actually, I have a request for you, Aichi-san."

" What is it?"

" Will you be the next model for my painting?!"

Upon hearing that, the room momentarily fell into silence as they felt a dark aura coming off of Kai.

" What's Inari doing?!" Futaba exclaimed softly

" How should I know?!"

" That guy really can get a little out of control!"

" U-Um... I don't really understand, Yusuke-san... It's a little sudden..."

" Please! It's for an important exhibition and this time, I'll make sure this is going to be the greatest nude painting yet!"

" U-Uh, HUH?!"

" He's done and said it now!" Ryuji exclaimed

 _" Not really what I meant but oh well... He'll figure it out sooner or later..."_ Ren thought

" W-Wait a minute! W-W-What do you mean by nude?! I-I don't think I can..."

" This is all for art! Please accept the offer!"

" Uh, I..."

" Hey." Kai stopped them as his dark aura grew stronger, " I've held back but how dare you try to paint Aichi nude..."

" He's went and said something none of us dares to talk about..." Naoki muttered

" Yeah..."

" This guy sounds like he has a death wish marked now with Kai this angry..." Miwa muttered

" We better get away from here..."

They distanced themselves away from Kai as the aura grew stronger again.

" Kai-kun, calm down... I'm sorry, Yusuke-san. I don't really know how the idea suddenly came to you but I don't think trying to do nude painting will help..."

" I see... I guess I should have a different approach to this. Thank you for the suggestion."

" Y-Yeah..."

Soon, the awkward time at dinner ended as Kai decided to bring Aichi back to their room after the rain had stopped.

" We'll see everyone tomorrow morning then. Goodnight, everyone!"

" Goodnight!"

" Night, Aichi! And, uh... Kai."

" Second what Ishida-senpai said!"

" Have a good rest this time, Aichi."

" I will."

Both headed back to their room as Kai locked the door while Aichi prepared to change to his pajamas.

" You should lighten up a little, Kai-kun. I can tell that Yusuke-san is a little... simple-minded."

" He has that feeling of Ren all over for some reason."

" You must be just thinking too much. You've been like that after I told them about our past."

" I'm not..."

" Don't lie. I briefly saw you getting angry at Akira-san during your match when I went to check it out."

" ... Fine. You got me."

" I know I was out of it when I told them but I'm fine now. Everyone's trying to have their own fun during this trip so let's all enjoy ourselves and not get too caught up in the past, okay?"

" Alright... But I'm still not letting Kitagawa off so easily for the nude painting request."

" I was a little surprised actually... I saw him talking to Ren-san for awhile before he had came over, so..."

" Oh?" Kai ask, the dark aura appearing again

" You're making that scary face again."

" Sorry."

" Come on. Change out and let's head to sleep. I'm getting tired from today."

" Yeah."

Kai changed out of his clothes as well as he turned off the lights before going to lie beside Aichi on the bed. He wrapped his arms around Aichi's body after that.

" Goodnight, Kai-kun."

" Goodnight, Aichi."

Burying his chin in Aichi's hair, Kai drifted off to sleep together with Aichi as the night deepened...

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! Longest chapter yet because of the cardfights! So sorry for not updating for so long but I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 5! I hope everyone will enjoy this new chapter! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

The next morning, Kai woke up from his sleep after feeling Aichi squirming and sniffling in his sleep.

" Aichi?"

" No... Help me... Kai-kun..."

" Aichi, it's me. Wake up."

After a few more assuring whispers, Aichi finally woke up from his sleep as he looked up to see Kai.

" Kai-kun..."

" You okay now?"

Aichi nodded slightly as Kai hugged him a little tighter to assure him.

" Had a nightmare?"

" A little bit..."

" Was it Void?"

Aichi nodded slightly again as Kai gently caressed his head to assure Aichi again.

" It's okay. It's just a nightmare. Void won't be able to touch you, I won't let it."

" Yeah..."

" Now, we better get to the kitchen. The others are going to wake up soon and we haven't prepared breakfast yet."

" Yeah."

Both got up and prepared themselves in the bathroom before changing and heading out of their room. Kai locked the door and they headed off to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

" We should make something small for now. I'm sure they want to head to the beach right after breakfast."

" Yeah. Then let's make a quick stew."

" Okay."

They started chopping the necessary ingredients and got out some bread before setting the table with each individual plates and utensils. Once Aichi had set the last plate of stew on the table, the others started coming in.

" Good morning, everyone. Sit at the tables. Breakfast is just ready."

" Okay!"

Everyone sat on their seats as they started eating while Aichi went back to the kitchen after seeing everyone happily eating.

" Aichi? You and Kai aren't sitting here to eat with us?"

" No. Kai-kun wants to eat in the kitchen. He said something about having a private conversation with me."

" Oh..."

" Don't worry about that. Just leave your dishes here once you're done and we'll come out to clean it up."

" Okay."

Aichi headed into the kitchen and sat down beside Kai as they had their own breakfast.

" So what did you want to talk about, Kai-kun?"

" It's about your nightmare, Aichi."

" Oh, the nightmare..."

" You sounded really frightened, Aichi. What was it about?"

" Well... It's just darkness surrounding me... There's no light and anyone around me. Then Void suddenly appeared and captured me... And then... He just..."

" I see. It's alright. I'm sorry for asking you to remember it."

" No, it's fine... You're here with me, so I'm happy."

" Yeah. Let's keep eating then."

" Yeah..."

Once they were done eating their breakfast, they washed up all the plates after making sure the others have finished their meals too before heading out to see some of their friends already at the beach.

" Those guys... They can't wait for at least a few more minutes of digestion before playing, can't they?"

" I'm sure they'll be just fine. Why don't we head back to our room to change too?"

" Well, alright."

Both went to change to their swimsuits as Kai helped Aichi to apply some sunscreen on him before applying some on his own skin and both headed out to the beach.

" Hey, Aichi, Kai! Wanna play some beach volleyball together?!"

" Sure! Come on, Kai-kun!"

" I'm not actually so interested."

" Just play with us for awhile, please?!"

" Alright, alright..."

In the end, Kai got dragged into playing beach volleyball against Misaki and Miwa with Aichi.

" How did I get dragged into this...?" Kai muttered

" Hey, Kai! Quit looking like a sore loser and just play already!"

That ticked Kai off a little as Miwa flinched.

" Well, at least that got him to play..."

" You know, having Aichi around is enough for him to want to play."

" I know, I know..."

They started the game while some of their friends watched them play.

" He may not look like it but Kai's really enjoying himself out there." Ren said

" Ya think? He doesn't look any different to me."

" Maybe because Sendou-kun is with him."

" That's always been the case with that guy anyway."

" Yeah."

" I heard all that!" Kai called

" O-Oh, you did?!" Naoki exclaimed

" Ishida-kun's in trouble, huh?"

" I-It's not like you weren't the first one to say about him!"

" Huh?! Why am I in trouble too?!" Ren exclaimed

Leon sighed at their argument as he noticed Akira and the others playing in the water.

 _" Seems like a storm is coming over them soon... How will they overcome it?"_ Leon thought

Suddenly, dark clouds started covering the sunlight as they all looked up.

" Don't tell me it's gonna rain again!" Ryuji exclaimed

" I don't think it's my fault this time."

" Hope not."

"" Aichi!"

They turned to see Kai running over to Aichi, who'd collapsed on his knees and was started to breathe heavily.

" Aichi, what's wrong?!"

Suddenly, Ren and Leon also collapsed as the others ran to their aid.

" Ren-sama!"

" Leon-sama!"

" Ren and Leon went completely out! What's going on?!"

" Aichi, hang in there!"

" Kai-kun..."

" What is it?!"

" It's... Voi..."

Aichi fainted before he could complete his sentence as Kai shook him.

" Aichi!"

" We should hurry back inside! I don't think I'm liking those clouds up there!"

" Yeah!"

" Everyone, get inside!"

They headed to the main hall as they laid the three unconscious guys down.

" What's going on?! They collapsed all at the same time those clouds showed up!"

" This is too coincidental. It's as if this is..." Misaki paused

She looked over to Akira and the others as she hesitated. Kai realised what the hesitation meant as he sighed.

" The three Psyqualia users have all fainted. There's no need to hesitate on saying it out considering our situation."

" But this doesn't make any sense! Why would they suddenly faint out of nowhere?!"

" Before Aichi fainted, he tried to tell me something. And I think I know what he meant. 'Void'."

" What?!"

" But that's... all solved, right?"

" No, it wasn't. Link Joker is gone but Void isn't. This could be Void's work for all we know."

" But then what would he achieve by getting the Psyqualia users?"

" I... don't know."

They suddenly heard static noises as Kai took out his phone.

 _" Kai... kun... Help..."_

" Aichi?!"

 _" Help... me..."_

" Aichi, where are you?!"

 _" Leon... Ren... Shadows... Help..."_

" Aichi?! Aichi! Respond to me!"

" Hey, what he just said..."

" What in the world are the 'Shadows' he's talkin' about?" Naoki ask

" But that can't be right..." Futaba muttered

Kai immediately turned on the app as he typed in Ren and Leon's name.

" There's a hit?"

" Huh?! Two people at once?!"

" Aichi's in there... I've got to find him!"

" Kai, wait! What's going on?!"

" No time to talk now! We need to save them first! Location... This beach resort... Distortion... Void?"

" Kai, hold on! What are you doing?!"

As Kai typed in the keywords, the whole resort suddenly started to distort.

" No way! He got a hit so quickly?!"

" But then that means..."

The resort turned into a dark atmosphere as they looked around.

" I knew this'll happen!"

" We've just dragged more people in! Hey, wait a minute... Aichi-san's disappeared!"

" I knew it! I'm going to find him!"

" Kai-san!"

" He's getting too anxious!"

" What's going on here?! This is the same place but it doesn't look the same!"

" But our clothes never changed... That means if that Void is behind this, it doesn't know we're here."

" You guys know something about this?"

" W-We'll explain everything later! Right now, we need to find Kai-san and Aichi-san!"

" And we need Mona! Mona, are you there?!"

" Right here!"

Morgana came out from behind the sofa as the others gasped.

" Wait, _that's_ Morgana?!"

" That's some growth spurt!"

" Not only is this place weird but Morgana turned into some freakish monster cat?!"

" I'm not a monster!"

" It's like this when we're over here. Like I said, we'll explain everything later!"

" O-Okay! Kai and Aichi are the priority! But where are they?!"

" I can't find them without my Persona..." Futaba muttered

" Hey, this is that Void's work, right? If he knew we were here, why doesn't he sees us as an enemy?"

" It's likely that he knows how this place works now and won't consider us as enemies."

" No, that doesn't make even more sense. Remember, the keywords Kai-san typed in was Ren-san and Leon-san's names."

" But then..."

" Don't worry about it." A voice said

" We just need to consider you guys as enemies, right?" Another voice ask

Their clothes changed as Naoki and the others gasped.

" What's with those outfits?!"

" But then who...?"

" Over here."

They turned behind to see Ren and Leon but their eyes were yellow.

" Shadows!"

" Yup! That's us!"

" But then..."

" Look. We were forced out and a Palace just materialised out of nowhere! If we want to head back, we need to get the souls of our real bodies back."

" Void even extracted their souls?! Are you serious?!"

" If he's taking it this far, we need to find them and fast."

" We'll split up then. One group searches for their souls while the other can search for Aichi-san and Kai-san."

" Leave the navigating to me!"

Her mask disappeared as she got onto her Persona.

" A UFO?!"

" Keep quiet for a bit! Let's see here... I'm sensing two signals below and one strong signal coming from outside but the one outside is a little high up."

" I'm guessing that's where we're going to find them."

" I'm sensing Kai-san too. He's making his way up to the strong signal."

" Hey, what about Aichi?!"

" I can't sense him at all. His presence must be concealed but that strong signal is suspicious. We can't let Kai-san go alone!"

" Right! Fox and I will head down to get their souls back! Meanwhile, Joker and the others should head off to find Kai-san!"

" Right! Be careful, Queen!"

" I'm getting Shadow readings!"

" Oh right, there's the others... I'll stay here!"

" Skull?!"

" We can't leave them alone in here. They'll get killed if we do. You guys just head on. I'll be counting on you guys then."

" Leave it to us."

" Now, let's hurry. We can't delay the time any longer."

" Right!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Aichi woke up to find himself on a throne as he looked around.

" Where... am I...?"

" You're in the Metaverse."

Aichi looked in front to see Void as he gasped. When he tried to move away, he noticed shackles pinning his wrists on the arm rests of the throne.

" Why did you bring me here?!"

" To have my fun with you."

" I'm not going to let that happen! Alma! ... Huh?"

" Unless the other two Psyqualia users see you as an enemy, you can't summon that Persona of yours. And even if they did, I already sealed off that power."

Aichi struggled as Void wrapped his hand around his chin.

" Now then, let's see... What can I play with you right now?"

" I'm not your toy, Void...!"

" Those are nice eyes. I wish you'd look at me like how you look at Toshiki Kai."

" I'd never!"

" Of course you won't. That's why I'll be erasing those memories soon to replace them with one of my own."

" You can't!"

" I can, Aichi. It's only a matter of time."

Void moved his hand to lift Aichi's shirt as he gasped.

" S-Stop it!"

" Such a nice smooth body. I can't wait to taste it. I might need to wash you a little though. You have some sunscreen left on you after all."

" I-I won't let you!"

" You've been saying that over and over again. But you can't achieve that. What can you do without your powers? Just give in already. Nobody can save you from here."

" I believe in Kai-kun!"

" It really irks me, you know. The fact that those rebellious eyes are all because you believe in your dear lover. Well, too bad. He won't be able to save you, I'll guarantee he doesn't. So for now, as punishment for making me a little ticked off..."

He tore the front of Aichi's shirt open as he took it off until it reached his elbows.

" N-No!"

" Such a nice scent. Seems like you like the smell of blueberries. Or is it for your beloved Toshiki Kai to smell?"

" Stop it! Stop it right now!"

" I'm not going to stop, Aichi. You can't make me."

Sticking out his tongue, he started to trail it along Aichi's neckline as Aichi shivered at the touch.

" Aichi!"

Void stopped as they turned to see Kai breaking in from a wall with Kusanagi.

" Kai-kun!"

" Just wait for me! Void, you're not going to get away with this!"

" Such a nuisance. No matter."

Void put Aichi's shirt back on as the clothes mended itself.

" Now then... I should get rid of you first."

" Then be my guest. Just know that I will defeat you first."

" You may have obtained a new power but it doesn't mean you'll always defeat me."

" Kusanagi!"

His mask burned off as Kusanagi appeared again and attacked Void. Kai ran past Void after he was distracted as he tried to get rid of the shackles restraining Aichi.

" Just wait a little while longer!"

" Please be careful!"

" Don't worry, I will."

Suddenly, Void landed a hit with his sword on Kusanagi as it roared while Kai screamed a little while holding onto his arm.

" Kai-kun!"

" So, you will take some form of damage whenever I hit this creature. Interesting. Then..."

Consecutive slashes were landed on Kusanagi as it disappeared and the mask went back on Kai as he winced from the pain.

" Kai-kun, are you alright?! Hang in there!"

" This is what you get for trying to interrupt my time with my soon-to-be lover. It'll be a punishment befitting you to watch as I replace his memories and receive his love, wouldn't you say?"

" ... Don't... you dare!"

" Oh? I will dare to do many things and this is just one of the many. Now then, Aichi... It's about time we take this up a notch while your current lover watches us."

" No!"

" Aichi!"

" Stay away from me!"

Blue flames flickered around him as Void gasped and jumped back while a torrent of blue flames surrounded Aichi and the shackles broke off.

" Aichi!"

" That will of rebellion..."

 _" It burned away my seal over his power..."_ Void thought

" Alma!"

Aichi's clothes changed as Alma appeared behind him.

" This is quite troublesome. Well then, I should be heading off now."

Void disappeared after that as Alma turned back into the mask. Kai quickly got up just as Aichi fell to his knees.

" Are you alright?"

Aichi gripped Kai's shirt and cuddled on his chest as Kai wrapped his arms around him.

" I'm sorry I wasn't able to help much."

" No... You came for me... I was so happy."

" Aichi..."

The door burst opened as Kai helped Aichi up while Joker and the others got in.

" Are the two of you alright?!"

" Yeah, somehow."

" I sensed a strong power again. Could it be..."

" Yeah. Aichi fended Void off. What about the others?"

" I'm here with Skull to take care of the others from the Shadows. Just come back with Joker and the others."

" I got it. Let's go."

" Yeah..."

They started making their way out of the place after that.

" Oh but... You guys have codenames?"

" Yeah. Phantom Thieves should never reveal their real names after all. I'm Mona."

" Mine's Panther."

" I'm Joker."

" I am Noir."

" Skull is Ryuji, Fox is Yusuke and Queen is Makoto."

" And I'm Oracle! I provide support and navigation!"

" I see..."

" If you two are joining us, then we should think up of some codenames for you two."

" Then I'll be simple. Overlord."

" Because you use Dragonic Overlord...?"

" You know that I would name myself that either way."

" Y-Yeah... Well, for me..."

" Goddess."

" I-I'm a boy, Kai-kun..."

" White angel."

" That's too far fetched..."

" White goddess."

" Like I said, I'm a boy."

" Then... If we have an Oracle, then we'll have a Fortune."

" F-Fortune?"

" Oracle predicts the future but Fortune gives luck. Plus, you're pretty good at healing too."

" And you already had some sort of luck involved if you were able to scare Void off so easily."

" Yeah, I think that codename's perfect."

" Y-You guys think so?"

" Yeah!"

" ... Then I'll be called Fortune. Thank you, everyone."

" And isn't it good fortune that I'm with you now?"

" K-Kai-kun...!"

They laughed at the sight of the blushing Aichi as they quickly arrived back at where the others were.

" Oracle, how does it look with Queen and Fox?"

" They're making their way smoothly to the soul readings. They should be able to come back with them anytime soon."

" So, Ren-san and Leon-kun had their Shadows dragged out by Void..."

" Looks that way."

" I'm surprised Aichi-kun and Kai obtained such a power though. How?"

" That's... The will of rebellion, I think..."

" We weren't really sure either anyway. It just kind of happened."

" Heh..."

" I detected them again. They're coming back up with the souls."

" Alright!"

They suddenly heard an alarm sound ringing as they looked up at Futaba.

" Oracle?!"

" Huh?! Everyone, be careful! I'm getting strong Shadow readings!"

" From where?!"

" ... You guys honestly thought Void would just leave us be like this? You guys are really naive."

" Their Shadows! There's a strong reading coming from them! Be careful!"

" They must've been influenced by Void's power..."

" Fine then! If it's a fight they want, then it's a fight they'll get!"

" You guys just stay behind us! This is dangerous!"

" R-Right!"

" So you guys pretended to help us by counting us as enemies!"

" Who knows. Besides, thanks to Void, we can finally let loose a little."

" But then that means that..."

" You guys are the ones from a few years ago, aren't you? The power hungry Ren and Leon!"

" I'm surprised you remembered, Kai. It's no surprise though. Even if they've gone back to normal, that little darkness in their hearts would never fade so easily."

" Let's defeat them and bring those two back to normal."

" Yeah!"

" Guys!"

" Fox! Queen!"

" Hey, Aichi-kun! Kai!"

" He actually recognised us even with the mask..."

" That's Ren-san for you..."

" Anyway, hurry and get back into your bodies. It's dangerous out in this world as a soul."

" Roger!"

" Yeah."

The two went back as they got up in their real bodies.

" Ren-sama!"

" Leon-sama!"

" I'm so glad you're alright!"

" You scared us, Leon-sama!"

" Sorry to worry you two. Who are those two, Sendou?"

" Your heart's inner self. Your Shadow."

" Shadow?"

" Basically, they're like... The evil sides of the both of you manifested by distorted desires. In this case, they've been brought out by Void's distorted desires."

" Alright, let's stop there! We'll explain more later! Here they come!"

The Shadows started transforming as they gasped.

" No way..."

The black and blue dragons roared as the black dragon's wings flapped and the blue dragon was surrounded by water.

" This is way bigger than I thought they would be!"

" Don't they look like..."

" Yeah, they sure do..."

" What is it?"

" ... It's Phantom Blaster and Maelstrom..."

" It's getting dangerous. Aichi, I'll leave the others to you and Sakura."

" Right!"

" And that's Oracle and Fortune for you! Remember, codenames!"

" Right..."

They faced the dragons after that as Kai removed his mask and it burned off.

" Kusanagi!"

Kusanagi appeared as it roared and charged at the dragons, wrapping them around his long body.

" Hurry and attack!"

" Right!"

Suddenly, 'Phantom Blaster' grabbed Kusanagi and threw him down as Kai gasped in pain.

" Kai-kun!"

" Guys, back him up!"

" Come on, Captain Kid!"

Captain Kid appeared after the mask burned off as lightning strikes the two dragons. Kusanagi managed to get out of the way as he went back to Kai.

" Are you alright?!"

" Yeah..."

Suddenly, the dragons roared as they began to charge up an attack.

" This power level...! It's too high!"

" Isn't there any way to get out of their attack?!"

" ... I got it! Futaba-chan, raise everyone's speed!"

" Huh?"

" Please!"

" R-Right!"

Aichi held out his staff as the others glowed in a green and purple aura.

" Everyone, get ready to guard or dodge in three seconds! Three... two... one!"

There was a huge explosion as the others were just a little scratched up from the attack. Aichi healed them afterwards as they sighed in relief.

" That's much better! Nice boost, both of you!"

" You're the amazing one, Aichi-san! How did you know we would be able to survive with just that?"

" Considering the units those two Shadows represent, it's not much of a surprise. If their attacks are on the high level scale, then we just need to raise our defense and speed as high as possible."

" That's smart!"

" Now, let's begin our counterattack!"

" Yeah!"

They started their counterattack as both Shadows were soon defeated and turned back to normal.

" Now, return to them. I'm sure Void's power will no longer influence the both of you."

" Yeah... Sorry for the trouble..."

" It's fine."

Both Shadows returned to Ren and Leon as they exited the Metaverse and were back in the real world.

" We almost died back there! What was all of that, Kai?!"

" ... Well... Now's not the right time. Just give us some time."

" ... Fine. Besides, this is for us to relax so brooding over what happened wouldn't help anyway."

" Thank you for understanding, everyone."

" It's fine. We've been through a lot together so something like this isn't too surprising anymore."

" Well, yeah..."

" Oh, right! Today's the day, isn't it?!"

" What day?"

" You're right! Turn on the TV!"

" Okay..."

Ren found the remote and turned on the TV as they saw the live news about Okumura's confession.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Void's other dark palace in the Metaverse, there were sounds of chains shaking and a gasp of pain as Void sighed.

" That's much better. Though, it's only beginning, so... Tell me, how do you feel?"

" I-I-It felt nice..."

" Hm... You're not honest, Aichi."

Void held 'Aichi' by his chin as he lifted it up so that they were eye to eye.

" You love me, don't you?"

After being unable to receive a respond for a few moments, Void moved a little as 'Aichi' gasped in pain again.

" Answer me."

" Y-Yes... I love Void-sama...!"

" Even as a mere cognition, looks like you still have some resistance. I should change it a little once I'm done with this."

" Huh...?"

" You're not done with this yet. Tonight, we'll be going all the way. I won't let you rest. Taking out all my frustrations on you makes what happened just now even better. I'm even forgetting the embarrassment I have to go through for letting the real you get back his Will of Rebellion so easily and overpower me."

" I will be your desired lover... I will do whatever you say... I am your lover... Not Toshiki Kai..."

" That's right. Those are the words I want to hear. Let me hear those words more."

" Void-sama is the one I love... Void-sama is the only one who knows me best... Void-sama is the only one that can give me... this much pleasure..."

" That's a good boy. For that, I'll give you a reward. What would you like?"

" ... These chains... My hands..."

" Hm? That's not going to happen for now. It's part of my side entertainment."

Void trailed his fingers along the chains and to the shackles restraining 'Aichi's' wrists in the air as he then slid them down his arms. 'Aichi' flinched a little as his body shook.

" Hey, hey. I'm still beginning. Don't faint on me now for just a little bit of pleasure. I want you to feel it all the way. Everything about you is so much similar to the real you that I can't help it. The lust and the sheer pleasure from hearing your screams for more. Right, Aichi?"

Suddenly, shackles and chains appeared again as they shackled 'Aichi's' ankles this time and he flinched again upon feeling the cold metal.

" Now, stay still. I'll let you rest for awhile after this."

Void moved again as 'Aichi' gasped and started screaming.

" Now, let me hear it, Aichi. Beg me."

" F-Faster! Please! Void-sama!"

" Not enough, Aichi. I want to hear something more than your screams."

Suddenly, 'Aichi' started moaning as Void smirked.

" Found it."

" V-Void-sama...!"

After a few more movements, the sounds stopped as Void sighed again. 'Aichi' panted as Void chuckled.

" This face really can be made by a cognition. It's wonderful."

" P-Please... Um..."

" Just for awhile."

Void pulled away as 'Aichi' winced a little in pain and finally relaxed a little.

" H-How... are you feeling...?"

" Much better. Hearing your screams brought me so much relief and joy."

" Being able to help Void-sama is my job... No matter what the circumstances are..."

" Yes, that's my good boy. That's the Aichi I want. Let's continue this in bed. I've made you uncomfortable by just leaving you hanging."

" ... Y-Yes..."

* * *

After watching Okumura having a sudden mental shutdown, Ren turned the TV off as Aichi turned to Akira and the others.

" What happened back there?"

" We defeated his Shadow and took his Treasure! That's all!"

" If we leave the Shadow alive, then the real person wouldn't have a mental shutdown!"

" What's going on here?"

" His Shadow... I never seen it..."

" Huh?"

" Just as I've seen Futaba-chan's Metaverse outfit, I think I could see Shadows in people but Okumura had none when I see him on TV..."

" Are you serious?!"

" I'm afraid so... When I saw Madarame's broadcast, I can even see his Shadow but Okumura really had none. It's as if it'd been planned to trigger during the broadcast."

" You're kidding! Then someone's trying to sabotage us?!"

" I think so..."

" What are you guys even discussing about? I can't even get it wrapped around my head!"

" Like we said, we'll explain another time. Haru..."

" I'm fine... I'll head back once they call me... You guys just enjoy the rest of the vacation."

" But..."

" It's okay, really."

With the day ending on a bad note, will they be able to solve the case of what had happened?

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter! Thank you for reading! (And yes, Void and 'Aichi' did the do)


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 6! I hope everyone will enjoy this new chapter! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

A few days after the incident with Okumura, Aichi was back in school again as he checked on his phone during lunch before sighing.

" What's wrong, Aichi?"

" It's nothing..."

" Oh, now that I think about it... Everyone's been talkin about what happened to that Okumura guy. They said the Phantom Thieves killed him so that he wouldn't disclose their secrets."

" Who are the Phantom Thieves anyway?"

" Guys... That's... You know..."

" Huh?"

The two finally started piecing together of what was said at the resort as they gasped.

" Aichi! You mean the Phantom Thieves are..."

" Kai-kun and I joined not too recently... But those guys..."

" They've been at it since the beginning... But then..."

" They won't kill, I just know it. I'm definitely sure someone's out to sabotage them. They made sure they gained fame before destroying it in an instant."

" No way..."

" That's why we couldn't say anything at the resort... They were still in shock and we didn't want to add even more to it from explaining."

" I see... Still, you and Kai should've said something about it!"

" I'm sorry..."

Naoki sighed and stopped trying to pry further as they continued eating their lunch. A few hours later, school ended as Aichi received a message after reaching the clubroom as he gasped.

 _" The next Palace raid... is for someone called Sae Nijima..."_ Aichi thought

" Nijima?!"

" Aichi?"

" Oh, it's nothing..."

" Is it... about them?"

" ... I'm sorry. I won't be coming tomorrow."

" ... Don't worry! We'll keep the club going while you're gone!"

" Thank you."

" Alright, let's put that all aside and start the club up before anyone comes here!"

" Yeah!"

They began club activities while waiting for the other members to show up as they had a few rounds of cardfight before the sun started to set. They then walked out together from the school gates as Aichi spotted Kai waving to him.

" Kai-kun!"

Aichi ran over to Kai as Naoki sighed.

" There he goes again..."

" Yeah."

" Everyone! I'll see you tomorrow!"

" Yeah!"

" Be careful on the way back, Sendou-kun!"

" I will!"

Aichi and Kai started walking back to the apartment.

" Kai-kun, the message today..."

" Nijima agreed to this so..."

" But it's her own sister right? So why?"

" I don't know. But let's leave the questions for tomorrow when we see them."

" Yeah..."

And the next day soon came as they arrived at the courthouse where they'll meet Akira and the others.

" Everyone!"

" Yo! You guys are finally here."

" Yeah."

" Hello there, it's nice to meet you guys."

A brown haired boy had spoken up from the group as they blinked.

" New member?"

" Yeah. The ace detective, Goro Akechi."

" Oh..."

" Ah! Now I know where I've seen your faces before! You guys are the famed Vanguard fighters, Aichi Sendou and Toshiki Kai!"

" Famed?"

" Yes, they're world class champions! I've watched your Asia Circuit and High School Championship matches! You were very impressive with leading your team for both Q4 and high school club, Aichi-san!"

" T-Thank you..."

" And I've watched your matches as well, Kai-san. They were amazing! I can't believe I'm seeing the two strongest fighters in the flesh!"

" ... Even an ace detective knows us... News travel fast..."

" Wait, wait! They're world class what?!"

" World class Vanguard fighters, only the best of the best!"

" Woah..."

" We didn't know that..."

" No wonder they're so hard to beat..."

" When will be your next Circuit or championship? I'm looking forward to it!"

" O-Oh... There's not much right now so we're just relaxing for now..."

" I'm really looking forward to the next matches! Oh, wait... If you guys are here then..."

" We've just recently joined the Phantom Thieves, just like you."

" Wow! To fight alongside the Phantom Thieves and the world class fighters..."

" Someone's worked up..."

" I must get your signatures later on my notebook, if you two don't mind."

" O-Oh sure..."

" Hey, guys! We can talk about that later! Right now, let's focus on infiltrating the Palace!"

" R-Right!"

They inputted the keywords after figuring out what to type in as they made it outside Sae's Palace. Aichi looked at the Palace before turning to Kai.

" Hey, Kai-kun... What's a casino?"

" Huh? You don't know what that is?"

" Yeah."

" Well, it's a place where people bet their money on for starters."

" Why?"

" It's something called gambling. Where people come to earn more money by paying some in return."

" I don't get it..."

" Uh..."

" It's fine. Aichi's just dense. You don't have to know what it means."

" But..."

" Trust me, Aichi. For someone like you, it's better to not know."

" Okay..."

Kai smiled as he turned to the others and they nodded. They started finding an infiltration route as they managed to make it inside the casino.

" Oh! Our clothes changed."

" Seems like we're seen as a threat now. Come on, let's keep moving and maybe we'll find the Treasure."

" Yeah!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Void was watching them from a sphere on his bed as 'Aichi' groaned and got up.

" Hey, how are you?"

" Void-sama..."

" Are you still tired?"

" No... I have to make breakfast..."

" It's fine. Just rest more. Last night was hard on you."

" I'm your outlet to take out your frustrations on... Nothing is too hard on me if it's for you..."

" Are you really a cognition, I wonder... You're far too perfect. It feels like you have emotions too."

" Of course. I love Void-sama after all."

" Tell me. If you disappear after someone slashes a vital spot, what happens?"

" Uh... I think I'll get reset? I won't have the memories I have now if I were to disappear and the next time I appear as a cognition, I would be without memories."

" Oh? Then I should make sure you don't disappear."

'Aichi' smiled as he looked at the sphere showing the real Aichi and the others exploring the casino.

" Void-sama, if you succeed in capturing him in the real world, then will you forget about me?"

" Why are you saying that?"

" He's your target after all. I'm just a fake you gave life to."

" What nonsense. What gave you that idea?"

" ... I don't know..."

 _" Is he really...?"_ Void thought

'Aichi' got up as he winced a little before getting support from the bed rails to stand up.

" And where are you going now?"

" To make breakfast..."

" Like I said, you don't have to. Rest up, you need it."

" I'm fine..."

'Aichi' picked up a bathrobe not too far from them as he wore it and went out of the room. Void picked up a bathrobe of his own and followed 'Aichi' as he wrapped his arms around his waist from behind.

" Looks like someone's jealous."

" No, I'm not..."

" Don't deny it. I see it in your eyes."

" ... I have to do my duties, Void-sama."

" And I order you to stop doing those duties and rest. I thought cognitions were supposed to listen to their masters?"

" ... Yes, we have to... That's because we're fakes..."

 _" He's becoming self aware. This is interesting."_ Void thought

" Come on now. Go back into the room and rest."

" No... I can't..."

" Aichi, this is the last time I'm telling you to go back and rest. Or maybe you'll want a repeat of yesterday night?"

" T-That's..."

" Do as I say and go back inside."

" Yes..."

" That's my good boy. I like it when you're obedient to me. Come on. I'll even let you watch a fun show."

" Show...?"

Void placed his arms around his shoulders to support him as they slowly made their way back into the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aichi and the others were now face to face with Shadow Sae as she chuckled.

" So you've come. The Treasure is located on the Manager's Floor, at the highest point of this building."

" ... Why are you telling us this?"

" It's as I said before... I wish to go about this in the fairest manner possible. First, I ask that you come up to my location. We will continue this there..."

There was a flash of bright light as Shadow Sae disappeared. They went to check on the elevator as they saw Shadow Sae going up on it.

" There she is."

They ran down to the elevator and realised that it needed a certain member's pass.

" Member's card...?"

" Perhaps it bears relation to a player's club of sorts."

" Player's club...?" Aichi wondered

" Casinos typically have a membership system called a player's club. Some locations even have areas cordoned off for particular ranks of players. Considering the setup of this place, I thought things may be similar here."

" That'll make this shit simple. C'mon, let's join this player thingy."

They encountered a Shadow soon afterwards as they managed to swiftly defeat it.

" Whew. That wasn't much!"

" I'll bet."

Suddenly, something grabbed Aichi and Kai as they screamed in surprise.

" Aichi-san! Kai-san!"

They turned behind as they gasped when they saw a black void with mist coming out of it. Aichi and Kai were caught in the tangle of black mist as they tried to break free.

" A-Alm-!"

Aichi's mouth was wrapped in black mist as Kai was swung around in order to stop him from summoning Kusanagi.

" Guys!"

* * *

In Void's Metaverse castle, they were back on the bed as Void chuckled while he allowed 'Aichi' to sip a glass of water.

" What do you think?"

" Um... This is the 'fun show', you were talking about?"

" Of course. Seeing them like this, struggling to break free. It's entertainment for me after the embarrassment."

" I see... Void-sama is amazing as always."

" Do you like it?"

" I guess... But why do this for me...?"

" In return for the rough treatment yesterday and my little love for my jealous little Aichi."

" I-I already said I wasn't jealous..."

" You can't hide it from me."

" I'm a fake so... I shouldn't feel jealous..."

" Fake, fake... That's all you ever say. Do you really think that you're just a fake as a cognitive being?"

" That's what we are after all. Cognitive beings born from cognitions. That's all. There's nothing real about us."

" Well, what we did last night felt real to me. So don't say that you're a fake."

" But..."

" If you say that word again, I'll be sure to give you thorough punishment to show how real you really are."

" Y-Yes..."

Void then wrapped his arms around 'Aichi' tighter as he leaned on his chest while continuing to watch the struggle of Aichi and Kai.

* * *

At the Palace, the others were trying to hit the black mist but with no succession.

" Dammit, what's that thing planning now?!"

" I don't know but if we don't hurry, I think Kai-san's going to throw up his lunch!"

" Oh no..."

" Hey, Oracle! See anything?!"

" Just hold on! ... I see it! There's something in the middle of that black void! Hit it with everything you've got!"

" Alright!"

They sent out their attacks as the black void disappeared along with the mist. Aichi and Kai were released after that as they fell to the ground.

" Kai-kun!"

Kai was unresponsive as Aichi checked on him to see that he was dizzy.

" Are you alright?!"

" I feel like I might hurl at any second..."

Aichi sighed in relief as his mask burned off.

" Alma!"

Alma appeared as Aichi healed Kai's dizziness before he got up and held his head.

" I got swung around like a rag doll. It's hard to even call Kusanagi..."

" I'm sorry, I couldn't call Alma either... It covered my mouth..."

" You think that thing did this on purpose?"

" If it's for its own entertainment, then I would guess so... I mean, swinging me around like that can only be done so easily by it..."

" Are you gonna be alright?"

" Yeah, Aichi healed me already so I'm fine... Anyway, we have an infiltration route... What next?"

" Well, as much as I would like to catch up to them quickly, I'd suggest that we return for now and prepare."

" Very well. I trust your experience and judgment. Let us do that."

They returned to the real world after that as Akechi immediately took out his notebook. Aichi and Kai sweat dropped as they signed on it upon Akechi's request. They ended their operation and said their goodbyes as Aichi and Kai entered the apartment and plopped down on the bed.

" That was exhausting... Being in the Metaverse drains quite a bit of strength..."

" I kind of get why they told us to rest up..."

" Kai-kun... I'm sorry... I... can't stay awake..."

" Yeah, me too..."

Right after they said that, they fell asleep as they saw the beginning of a dark dream...

 _~ Dream start~_

 _Aichi and Kai appeared in a black space as they gasped._

 _" Kai-kun?!"_

 _" Aichi?! Wait a minute... Are we..."_

 _" ... in the same dream?!"_

 _" Welcome."_

 _They turned in front to see Void and 'Aichi'._

 _" You!"_

 _" And is that..."_

 _" Isn't he perfect? I created him in the Metaverse."_

 _" You satisfy your own sick desires of Aichi on that cognitive self?! How disgusting can you get?!"_

 _" Cognitive? Don't bully my little Aichi with that word. He hates to hear that. Isn't that right, Aichi?"_

 _" Yes..."_

 _" What do you want with us here? Wasn't messing with us in that Palace enough for today?!"_

 _" Hey, it was entertainment for me and my Aichi. It was fun seeing you try to call out your powers."_

 _" You...!"_

 _" I'm only here for a greeting and introduction to my Aichi. Don't worry about yours. I'll be retrieving him but not too soon either. For now, I'll be keeping my Aichi company. He's been yearning for my attention after all."_

 _" Don't talk about Aichi as if he's a thing you can just take whenever you please! I'm not going to let that happen!"_

 _" Say whatever you want. I just hope you'll seen your remaining days well before I come again. But until then... You can keep him."_

 _He clicked his fingers after that as Aichi and Kai started to lose consciousness._

 _~ Dream end~_

Aichi and Kai woke up with a start as they got up and looked around.

" A dream...?"

" He really is just messing with us!"

" Kai-kun..."

" Sorry, I got too worked up... What time is it anyway?"

" ... It's not even an hour after we slept."

" ... I'll go make dinner. Come with me to watch?"

" Sure."

Aichi took Kai's hand as they walked to the kitchen after that.

* * *

At Void's Metaverse castle, they were lying on the bed again as Void looked over to 'Aichi'.

" How was it, meeting them like that?"

" I don't know..."

" Are you hurt by what he said about you?"

" No, I..."

" Listen, Aichi. You're not a fake. So what if you're a cognition? That doesn't mean you are what you are."

" You're too kind, Void-sama."

" I'm flattered by your words. I'll get my own servants to do your measly work from now on."

" No, I'll do them by myself."

" You're going to stay here by my side all the time, got it? I don't want a second away from you unless there's a sort of meeting which I obviously won't have. I want to make sure you don't die on me."

" We don't die... We just disappear once we're hit..."

" And that's exactly why I want you to stay by my side. You said your memories will reset so I won't let that happen."

" Void-sama..."

" Do you still think I'll abandon you after I get him?"

" ... I don't know..."

" Tell you what. I'll spend a few months with you here before I continue with my plans. That way, you won't feel left out."

" But I'm just a-"

" What did I say?"

" Not to say that word ever again..."

" Good. Now then, let's treat these few months as a honeymoon."

" B-But... We aren't..." 'Aichi' stuttered, blushing a little

" Does that matter?"

" I..."

 _" Seems like he's really feeling emotions. This is really interesting. That's even cute."_ Void thought

Void leaned 'Aichi' on his shoulder as he smiled before falling asleep.

" That was fast..."

Void pulled up the blanket over them and fell asleep as well.

* * *

At Kai's apartment, they'd just finished showering after having dinner as they sat on the bed while cuddling each other.

" Hey, Kai-kun... I can't help but think back to our dream..."

" Why?"

" I mean, it's weird. I've never seen a cognition with so much emotions... He looked like he really loves Void..."

" I get what you mean but maybe it's just your imagination?"

" But... I don't know... I just have a feeling that there's more to that cognition. But I just can't put my finger on it..."

" Let's leave it at that. Just rest for today. We still need to infiltrate the Palace again tomorrow."

" Okay..."

Kai turned off the lights as he laid beside Aichi and placed his arm around him.

" Oh but Kai-kun..."

" What is it?"

" I still don't get it... What's a casino?"

" ... Aichi, just forget about that and sleep."

" But-"

" Sleep, Aichi."

" Okay..."

And the night of Aichi's curiousity questioning Kai over and over again lasted for at least an hour before he was willing to sleep...

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading and I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 7! I hope everyone will enjoy this new chapter! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

The very next day, they met up once again after school and entered the Palace to find a way to get an access card to the next floor.

" Hold on..."

" Fortune?"

Aichi closed his eyes as they waited in silence before he opened his eyes again.

" I sense a door close by but it's locked."

" What do we need?"

" An access card. Oracle, is there a strong Shadow nearby?"

" Let me check... Yes. There's one by one of the staircases."

" Then that's the Shadow holding onto the access card. We need to find it."

" How do you know all that?"

" Ever since I stepped into this Palace, Alma's powers have been activating to scan the area of the floor we're at. So whatever he sees is transferred to me."

" Dude... That's cool."

" We don't even need a map for this!"

" Yes but as I said, his range only covers this entire floor, so if we were to proceed to the next floor, his powers would kick in again."

" That's fine by us! Let's find that Shadow first and get the card!"

" Right!"

They ran around the casino as they finally found the Shadow they were looking for after some trouble.

" That guy doesn't look too easy..."

" Yeah. Should we prepare ourselves before this battle?"

Aichi looked at the Shadow before suddenly walking out from behind the wall.

" Fortune, what are you doing?!"

" It's dangerous, come back!"

" It's okay."

The Shadow spotted him as it got ready to attack. That was when Aichi released a white aura around his body.

" It's okay, I'm not here to hurt you. Look, I just want the access card you have there. In exchange, you would have freedom from this Palace. I know you're suffering in here. Your memories are jumbled up. You're a Shadow born from the masses but you can change. I'll help you."

The aura around the Shadow started to dissipate as it transformed into a black mass. Aichi placed his hands around it as it shone in a bright light before disappearing. Aichi looked down at his feet and picked up the access card as he turned to the others.

" Woah..."

" ... Oh yeah. His Shadow was originally the one who spoke to Shadows born by the masses."

" Gaining Alma must've given him the method to do so."

" And Fortune does have a way with words too."

" Hm? What are you guys staring at?"

" On how impressive you were back there. Nicely done, Fortune."

Kai patted Aichi's head as he blushed a little and looked down.

" U-Um... The door is just a few distance back from where we came... Shall we head off...?"

" Okay!"

They went back to the barred door as Akira tapped the card and they entered the door. Once they saw the office inside, there was a Shadow waiting as well. Aichi also did a little talking to it before it disappeared and he had gotten a few Member's cards.

" That's too cool, Fortune!"

" Yes but it drains me to use my aura to soothe their hearts. I'm almost hitting my limit..."

" Don't worry about it. We'll just fight our way through the next time we see Shadows like that so just save your strength."

" Okay..."

" But good job getting these cards, now just leave it all to me!"

Futaba made two Member's cards due to the fake names as they crawled through a vent to get back to where they'd came from. Akira tapped the card as the elevator opened and they headed up to the Member's Floor.

" Overlord, these are..."

" Don't need to ask, Fortune. You don't have to know what they are. Just know that they're not good for you if you get addicted."

" Addicted? Why would I?"

" Well, just promise me you don't, okay?"

" Okay..."

That when when Shadow Sae and her bodyguards appeared in front of them again.

" Sis...!"

" You wanna just get this over with right now, huh? That makes this easy. Bring it on."

Shadow Sae shook her head.

" Do not speak to me as though you are my equal. I am the manager of this casino, as well as its number one player. At the moment, you lack the qualifications to fight me."

" It would seem she looks down on us."

" And what if we would like to battle you, no matter what?"

" I had to win time and time again in order to reach my number one rank. If you want to face me, you must continue to win as well."

" What does she...?"

" It must have to do with the fact that this place is a casino."

" Correct. Do you have the confidence to win...?"

" We might just pull out the rug from underneath you if you aren't careful."

" I don't expect much from you... but I'll be waiting."

With a snap from her fingers, she teleported to the elevator again as it ascended. They looked over to the machines and sighed.

" We've never done this before..."

" I'm not letting Fortune touch any of these things either."

" But how am I going to be helpful if I don't know anything about this 'casino'? You refused to explain to me last night too!" Aichi pouted

" I don't want to ruin that innocent mind of yours, Fortune. It's exactly why I'm so fond of you."

That statement caused Aichi to flush as steam came out of his head.

" Uh... Is he gonna be alright?"

" Don't worry, he's used to it."

" He doesn't look like it."

Aichi was stuttering some incoherent words as they sweat dropped.

" Why don't you guys head to that counter first while I calm him down?"

" Of course you should cause you were the one who caused him to become like this."

" Hmph. Whatever."

They headed to the counter while Kai and Aichi stayed behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Void was watching them once again as 'Aichi' woke up.

" Oh, I'm sorry... I fell asleep too early yesterday..."

" It's fine. I got to see your cute sleeping face after all."

'Aichi' blushed as he turned to looked at the sphere to distract himself. There was a knock on the door as the servants entered to serve them their breakfast. Halfway through the meal, 'Aichi' rushed to the toilet as Void followed after him after seeing the unusual movement.

" Aichi?"

'Aichi' was crouched at the toilet bowl as he turned around to see Void.

" I-I'm sorry, I don't know why but..."

" Are you feeling alright?"

" I-I don't know... I just suddenly..."

" Come on, I'll get the doctor in to check on you."

Void helped 'Aichi' up after that as they walked back to the bed.

* * *

At the Palace, they were now searching for the control room that's rigging the dice games that they were playing.

" How is it, Fortune?"

" I sense... Yes, there's a control room at the back of this place. We just need to head to that control room."

" Alright then, let's head there then."

" Right!"

After successfully finding the room and defeating the Shadow, they rigged one of the dice rooms to their favour as Aichi and Kai waited outside.

" I want to go inside..."

" You can't. I won't let you see the things happening inside."

" Is it really that bad for me?"

" Of course. You're so innocent that I don't want that to change."

" I won't change..." Aichi pouted

" I just don't want you to... I want you to stay the way you are, cute and innocent."

" K-Kai-kun..."

" I'm Overlord in here."

" Y-Yeah..."

Aichi blushed as he looked away. Kai took notice and slowly held Aichi's hand, causing him to blush further as they looked at each other.

" You understand me, right, Aichi?"

" What happened to saying codenames?"

" That'll be left aside for awhile."

" Alright."

They slowly leaned in closer as their lips brushed. However, they were interrupted by the door opening as they flinched and looked away from each other, flushing a little.

" We've got quite a bit of coins! Nice job, Joker!"

" Overlord? Fortune? Is something wrong? Your faces are super red."

" N-Nothing..."

" Y-Yeah... It's nothing... L-Let's head to the next place!"

" Are you sure you guys are gonna be alright?"

" O-Of course! We were just a little nervous again!"

" Well, it's not a surprise. I mean, you two just joined and this is your first Palace raid. And Akechi's too."

" Y-Yeah..."

" Now, let's continue onward."

* * *

At Void's Metaverse castle, 'Aichi' was being checked on as he gasped at the news.

" But I..."

" Just rest up and not do anything reckless. I'll be coming in for monthly checks to assure Void-sama."

" Y-Yes..."

The doctor left after bowing as Void went over to 'Aichi'.

" How are you feeling?"

" ... I'm sorry..."

" Hm?"

" I'm really sorry...!"

" What's wrong?"

" I can't be useful to you anymore! I'm just a deadweight to you once you need something to take out your feelings on!" 'Aichi' cried

" What deadweight? You should be happy."

" How can I be if I'm pregnant? I'm supposed to be an outlet to take out your feelings on but now I'm just a fake and useless cognition!"

" Aichi, what did I say about those words?"

" ... I... I...!"

Void then remembered what happened two nights ago as he realised what 'Aichi' was upset over.

 _" Ah... I see."_ Void thought

" ... Calm down. I'm not angry at you."

" Y-You're not...?"

" Yeah. Actually, I'm happy. This shows that you're real as you can be. You're not a mere cognition. If you were, this wouldn't have happened."

" I am...?"

" Besides, I admit that I did imagine you to be that way. It just went past my mind when I got frustrated. But at least, it shows that you aren't fake."

" Really...?"

" Yeah."

Void touched 'Aichi's' stomach and smiled as he kissed his cheek.

" Congratulations, Mother-to-be."

" Void-sama... I-It's yours too so... Congratulations as well, Void-sama."

" It'll be hard on you but I'll be by your side. Don't worry."

" Y-Yeah."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the casino, they managed to win more coins as they decided to retreat for the day to rest. Aichi plopped down on the bed as Kai walked over to him and sat down beside him.

" Aichi? You alright?"

Once he didn't get any response, he brushed Aichi's hair aside to see him sleeping as he smiled. He carried Aichi onto the pillow before tucking him in the blankets and going to make their dinner.

 _" He's used up quite a bit of strength, I'll just let him rest up."_ Kai thought

Suddenly, his phone rang as he answered it while checking on the dinner he was cooking.

" Miwa?"

" Kai, you and Aichi didn't come to Card Capital today either. Are you two alright?"

" Yeah. Aichi's not feeling too good so I'm taking care of him. In fact, we might not show up for a few days so don't contact me unless it's urgent."

" Well, this is urgent. You guys just joined the Phantom Thieves? And you're seriously telling us that Futaba and the others were the start-ups?"

" ... Who told you that?"

" Ishida said that Aichi explained to them everything already. This is dangerous, Kai. The police are investigating the Phantom Thieves and you and Aichi might be in danger of being arrested."

" ... We won't. Trust me."

" Kai, don't get us too worried. After the resort holiday we had, Leon told us that a storm is brewing and I don't think Void is the only thing he's referring to. What are you guys doing as Phantom Thieves? I seriously don't get it."

" You don't have to understand, Miwa. Just know that we're doing something about this right now."

" Kai, this isn't just about you! It's about Aichi too!"

" I know that and I will protect him. There is nothing to worry about so just wait for the news."

" ... Stubborn as ever. But come by once in awhile so that we wouldn't worry, alright?"

" Like I care."

Kai hung the call up after that as he continued cooking. That was when his phone rang again as he answered it.

" Nijima?"

" Sorry to contact you this late after just after our separation, but listen to this carefully, Kai-san. Is Aichi-san with you as well?"

" Yeah but he's asleep."

" I see. Look, we're suspicious about something and we need the cooperation from the both of you. Listen carefully and tell Aichi-san too."

" Depending on what you want to say. I'm listening."

Makoto started explaining as Kai's eyes widened a little and he turned the stove off before starting to plate the dishes.

" That's risky. And you want to do this?"

" Yes. We have no other choice. So please tell Aichi-san as well once he wakes up."

" ... Fine. But you guys better be careful."

" We will. Don't worry. We're going to be one step ahead no matter what."

" Got it."

Kai hung the call up before setting the plates on the dining table and waking Aichi up.

" Hey there, sleepyhead. It's time for dinner. Wake up."

" ... Ugh... How long have I been asleep for...?"

" About an hour or so. What's wrong? You don't sound too good."

" I'm fine... Just tired..."

Kai placed his hand on Aichi's forehead as he sighed.

" Looks like you're not running a fever at least. I'll feed you."

" No, it's fine... I'll get up..."

" It's alright. You're still tired from using your powers. Just sit here and rest. I'll get your dinner."

Aichi sighed as Kai helped him sit up and got him his dinner.

" Here. Open your mouth."

" Thank you..."

" It's fine. Besides, I can tell you something better. Just listen to me, okay?"

" Okay..."

Kai fed and explained what Makoto said to him as Aichi got surprised and stopped eating for a bit.

" What?! But..."

" Relax and sit down properly."

Kai pushed him back down on the bed as he continued feeding him.

" This is probably the safest way they could find. I told her about being careful already so let's just go with it first."

" Will they really be alright?"

" I'm sure they will. Don't worry."

As the night deepened, they finished their meals, took a quick shower and went to sleep for the night. The next few days were still about earning the coins to get to the manager's floor after being able to get to the high limit floor.

" We need to get to your sister's trials so that we can go into the high limit floor."

" Don't worry about that. I'll make arrangements and contact you later. For now, let us head back."

They nodded and headed back into the real world as Aichi and Kai went into Card Capital.

" Today ended earlier than expected."

" Yeah. Not like we had a choice."

" Yeah..."

" Brother Aichi!"

" Kamui-kun!"

" It's been some time, Brother! Where have you been?!"

" We were... busy with something..."

" With school?"

" N-No... Ah! Let's have a cardfight! It's been some time after all!"

" Okay!"

Kai suddenly felt his phone vibrating as he checked the messages before keeping his phone again and walking over to Aichi. He whispered something to him before Aichi nodded.

" Brother?"

" Oh! It's nothing! Let's continue!"

" You know, the both of you have been acting strangely ever since the incident at the resort. I know you've been hiding something. Even if I'm a kid, I'm not an balloon head!"

" Balloon head...? Oh. You mean airhead?"

" T-That's it! I'm not an airhead, Brother. Are you and Kai up to something?"

" N-No, really... Let's just continue our fight."

" Okay..."

* * *

At Void's Metaverse castle, Void was looking through his cards on a table as 'Aichi' saw this and sat beside him.

" Void-sama, is Vanguard fun?"

" Fun?"

" Yeah. Because you always look like you're having fun looking at the cards."

" Is that so?"

" Yeah. Isn't that why you're building this deck?"

" ... No. I'm building our army. To take over the two worlds, you see."

" I see... I guess I was imagining things then. I thought it would be nice for the child to see what his father likes to do..."

Void smiled and patted 'Aichi's' head as he blushed.

" Well, let him see it then."

" Yeah... Oh! I wanted to talk to you about something too, Void-sama!"

" What is it?"

" Look!"

Holding out his palm, a black mass of mist started forming on his hand as Void's eyes widened a little.

" And where did you learn that?"

" I wanted to be useful to Void-sama one day so I've been trying to draw something out... But for now, this is the best I could do..."

Seeing 'Aichi's' shy fidgets while he was talking, Void smiled once more.

 _" He's full of surprises."_ Void thought

" You did great. But I want you to focus on taking care of yourself until the child is born for now. This can wait after the child is born."

" But..."

" I don't need you to be useful for me, Aichi. Just take care of yourself and be a good boy, okay?"

" ... Okay."

" Good. Now go off to sleep, I'll be there in a few minutes."

" Okay."

'Aichi' walked off after that as Void went back to looking through his deck.

* * *

The next day, Aichi and Kai arrived at the courtroom to meet Akira and the others as they headed inside and sat down.

" So this is what the courtroom is like..."

" Just being here causes my body to tense up."

" I'm shocked that Nijima-san can think of somewhere this solemn as a casino..."

" So Makoto's sis is that lady who's overflowing with the aura of a capable woman."

Makoto nodded.

" By the way, what's this trial about?"

" A politician who decided to make personal use of government funds."

" I read about that in a magazine! He went on a vacation with his mistress to some fancy hot springs!"

" Aren't politicians supposed to be loaded? Why'd he mess with our tax money...?"

" They're all corrupt."

" Playing with other people's cash is a total no-go."

" This may sound odd but isn't Nijima-san supposed to be busy with our investigation? Does she really have time to be coming to a a trial like this...?"

" Supposedly, she was on this case before being assigned to the Phantom Thieves... Normally, another prosecutor would take her place, but... Sae-san can be a bit of a perfectionist."

" Hey, how're we gonna can Nijima-san to notice us? Did you tell her we'd be coming?"

" I don't think she read the message though."

" Do we have a backup plan?"

" ... Not exactly, but I'm sure she'll notice us eventually."

Sae finally turned and noticed them as Aichi flinched a little. Kai noticed the action and put his arm around his shoulder.

" You okay?"

" She... noticed... I saw her Shadow."

" That's good then. We can infiltrate the Palace and get to that High Limit Floor now."

Aichi turned to Akechi after he said that as he tried to not visibly flinch again and nodded.

" Y-Yeah..."

The court was in session after that. As soon as it ended, they entered the Palace again and started to gather coins for the manager's floor. Once they did gather the amount they needed however, Shadow Sae increased the amount of coins needed again but Akechi had finally revealed that he'd gathered coins and it was enough to cross the bridge to the manager's floor.

" That's the Treasure..."

" Now all we need to do is give that calling card. Let's head back to rest while I send it to her."

" Right."

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! Happy birthday, Aichi! Whew, I managed to finish this before midnight to 7 June! Thank you for reading and the next chapter is the battle with Shadow Sae! I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 8! I hope everyone will enjoy this new chapter! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

They were once again in the Palace after Makoto successfully sent the calling card as they took the elevator to where the Treasure would be but the space they were in was different.

" This is..."

The screen lit up as they turned behind.

" What kind of game will it be this time? No matter what you bring out, we will emerge victorious."

" You're making a grave mistake if you think you have me cornered. I only guided you here because this place allows me to fight to my heart's content."

" Sis..."

" When my father died in the line of duty, I hated his killer from the bottom of my heart. Dying to uphold justice sounds virtuous, but the ones left behind have to clean up the mess! Can you imagine the hardships I had to endure?!"

" Perhaps I had overestimated her. I thought her reasoning would have been more noble somehow."

" She's lost control..."

" This is wrong..."

" Justice cannot yield to evil! I must win, no matter what!"

" This is nothing more than self-righteousness..."

" All we need to do to determine who is right... is battle. Now, why don't we begin?"

She clicked her fingers as the floor started to shake and a roulette was revealed.

" Ka-Overlord! What is this?!"

" A giant roulette?!"

" A clash of brute strength is simply uncalled for on this stage."

" What is she intending...?"

" No more coins or playin' games! We ain't following your damn rules!"

" Oh you will. There is no room for negotiation. You will know soon enough."

They gasped when they saw another Shadowy being from Shadow Sae.

" What was that...?!"

" Now... come at me!"

" You'll save her, right?"

Makoto nodded.

" Alright everyone, be on alert!"

They got ready for the battle and called on their Personas. That was when the roulette started to spin.

" What the?!"

" Now let us play a game of roulette. The stakes will be... our lives. Of course, acts of violence are forbidden here. One must follow the rules."

" We already told you, there's no way we'll follow your rules anymore!"

" That's fine by me. Such troublesome people will just face the penalty..."

" As if we're gonna listen to you!"

" Wait."

" Fortune?!"

" Just give me a few seconds. Alma, if you would..."

Aichi activated his Psyqualia as the cloth around Alma formed a circle to show a vision.

" No good. You'll have to listen to her and bet. She'll weaken us if we attack."

" Is that a vision?"

" Of a part of a future, yes. Joker, just bet on the right pocket and maybe we can get through this."

" Right."

Akira nodded as he bet on one of the pockets but lost.

" Hey, for a second there..."

" Yeah. There's something on the slots."

" Judging by the appearance of it, it's a glass lid."

" Should we send someone to snipe the lid when it appears?"

" Yeah. Queen."

" On it."

Makoto jumped and hid away as they bet on the next pocket. Makoto sniped the lid just as the ball landed on it as it broke and they won.

" What?!"

" Hehe... Joker!"

They pointed their guns at Shadow Sae after that.

" What was that about fair and square?! You were totally cheating!"

" Ngh..."

" Let me try talking to her."

" Fortune, it's too dangerous!"

" She has to listen to reason. Please."

" ... Be careful."

Aichi nodded as he walked over to Shadow Sae.

" Nijima-san, we know you're hurting after what happened to you and Makoto-san's father but you need to snap out of it. If you go down this path, you'll lead to more hurt."

" Shut up! Shut up!"

Black mass surrounded her as it closed up on Aichi.

" Fortune!"

Kusanagi came out as it got Aichi out of the mass and brought him back to Kai as Shadow Sae fully transformed.

" Overlord, take care of 'im! We'll deal with her!"

" Okay."

Kai shook Aichi as he woke up with a start.

" It's okay, you're alright."

" O-Overlord...?"

" Yeah?"

" I-I'm sorry..."

" It's okay. You tried your best."

Kusanagi wrapped around them just as some bullets started getting fired from Shadow Sae's gun and protected them.

" I couldn't take it... She had so much despair... I thought that I could just bring her out of it a little..."

" Those with Palaces had already gone too deep in their distorted emotions. There wasn't much to reason in the first place but it did work for a moment, I'm sure. You did great, Aichi."

" Overlord..."

That was when an explosion occurred and Kusanagi exhausted its strength to protect them. Kai winced a little after that.

" Overlord! Everyone!"

" I just need to win!"

As Shadow Sae prepared another attack, Aichi ran in front as his mask burned off.

" Alma!"

A barrier came up and protected them as the explosion slowly dissipated and Aichi fell to his knees while panting. Kai quickly got up and ran over to him while the others quickly defeated Shadow Sae.

" Man... That was tough..."

" But we managed to survive thanks to Fortune. If he didn't bring up that barrier, that next move would've killed us all."

" See? You did great. Just take a nice rest now."

" So I've lost..."

" Sis!"

" That's only a Shadow. Why are you so..."

" Quiet!"

" ... Sorry."

" We'll go grab the Treasure."

Ryuji and Yusuke went to take the Treasure as they turned back to Makoto and Shadow Sae.

" Makoto...?"

" I don't think it's wrong to bring light to evils which can't be judged by law. That's all the Phantom Thieves have been trying to do too. But these aggressive investigations? Twisting the truth for your own possible gain...? Please... You have to think back to the feelings you had when you first wanted to be a prosecutor. Think about your justice, Sis."

" My justice..."

" Try to remember how you used to be..."

" How I..."

" Nijima-san... She's just like my father... What caused them to change like this...?"

" Hm... Even though their own desires were the cause, succumbing to such distorted thoughts are strange... Is there another reason they don't know of...?"

" We found it!"

" The investigation will now be able to proceed. The suspicions against you will be lifted as well. This deal we made... was a great experience for me. To think that I, a detective, would act alongside the Phantom Thieves..."

" Want to continue that?"

" By no means. This shall be the end of our working together. That was part of our promise. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

" Alright, we don't need to stay here any longer! Are you alright...?"

" I am. Let's go."

" Huh?! Enemy readings! When did they...?! They're gathering outside!"

" For real?! The hell's going on?!"

" Look at those numbers...!"

" This doesn't look good..."

" We defeated the Palace ruler and even stole the Treasure, yet the Shadows are still restless... It doesn't make any sense... What's going on here?"

" There are more coming?! This'll be dangerous if we don't do something...!"

" We need to go now! Those guys in black suits are almost here. We'll be done for if we get surrounded!"

" A team this large would be discovered immediately. We had best split up for our escape... Although, we'll need someone to act as a decoy... No, that's too dangerous."

" Go, everyone."

" Joker?! Are you planning on distracting them by yourself?!"

" Let him do it, Queen. He's quiet, but once his mind's made up, he's not gonna take no for an answer. I'm sure you ain't gonna die, it's you we're talkin' about here."

" Please don't do anything reckless, okay?"

" I'll never forgive you if you don't make it back."

" We still haven't fulfilled our deal, remember?"

" Even more are coming!"

" This truly is a painfully reluctant parting...!"

" It seems we had best hurry."

" ... We'll see you later."

They nodded and quickly left the Metaverse as Kai brought Aichi straight home to let him rest. The next day, Aichi and Kai went to Card Capital but didn't receive any messages for the night.

" Aichi, you don't look too good. Is something wrong?"

" It's nothing..."

" Shall we have a round of fight then?"

" Okay..."

Kai nodded as Aichi left to have his fight. They played until the evening as Ren and Leon came in with their teammates.

" Ren! Leon!"

" You guys better see the news."

Shin turned the TV on as the newscasters were announcing about the capture of the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Aichi and Kai immediately stopped what they were doing and listened to the news.

" Aichi? Kai?"

" What happened now?"

" What the hell have you guys been doing these few days? We never even see Futaba and the others anymore."

" It's... That's..."

" Nothing at all..."

" This can't be nothing at all."

" Shin-san, close the shop."

" R-Right..."

Shin locked the doors to the shop and they were now alone with their friends.

" It's obvious you guys are anxious about this news. What's going on?"

" We'll explain later so-"

" Please work... Please..."

" Aichi..."

 _" We have breaking news. The young man being held in custody has committed suicide. The police have confirmed his death..."_

" No way..."

" Did it..."

" There's still nothing..."

" Please tell me it worked...!"

Kai called someone after that as his phone rang a few times before cutting off. That was when someone finally answered and Kai put it on speaker.

" Hey, Nijima. Is he..."

 _" Don't worry. He's safe. It worked out."_

Aichi could finally break into a smile as he let his legs finally give out after all the nervousness he held in.

" What a relief..."

" And? They took the bait?"

 _" They sure did. All we need to do now is find the mastermind behind all this. We'll contact you around tomorrow after we do our own investigating."_

" Right."

Kai hung the call up as he squatted down and gave an assuring tap on Aichi's shoulder.

" What? What happened?"

" Well, let's sit down and we'll talk about it."

The others looked at each other before nodding.

" You see, we joined them just a few weeks back but their plan was set in motion a long time ago."

" Plan?"

" To make Akira-kun look like he died."

" Wait... So the news was fake?!"

" They used the news to make it look like it's real. With the use of the Metaverse, it's easy for them."

" The Metaverse?"

" You mean that dark place back at the resort?"

" Yeah. First, they made use of Makoto's sister's Palace to their use. She sees the other places as per normal and the only thing she sees as a casino is the courtroom."

" Palace?"

" It's the distorted desires that grew too strong in a person. Once it does, they form into a Palace. Anyway, they used that chance to check out the police station where the questioning would be held and did a test run. Once it worked, they were all set."

" We were ambushed by police officers yesterday after we defeated Nijima-san's Shadow. At least, that's what we made it look like."

" Aichi and I were told about the plan to reveal the traitor of the Phantom Thieves, who would then kill the leader of the Phantom Thieves in the interrogation room. And luckily, it all worked out. He's alive and we already know who the traitor is."

" All we needed to know was whether he had something else that other Palace rulers said before. Someone with a black mask had entered the Metaverse before. I could briefly see Personas so I used that chance to look at Akechi-kun yesterday. True enough, he had a black mask instead of the usual red. I haven't told the others about it yet but this helps us confirm that Goro Akechi is the one behind the mental shutdowns happening lately."

" The mental shutdowns in the news?! It was him?!"

" But Goro Akechi is an ace detective..."

" But I'm sure he got that title through the mental shutdowns he'd caused. Anyway, they're looking for the mastermind who's helping Akechi so that we have our next target."

" But whoever this is, that person is influential, to the point that he could even conduct a murder in a police station."

" Then that's too risky! You'll be facing someone who's high in power!"

" Nothing we're not used to, right? We've faced invaders before and even now, so what difference does it make if our opponent is someone with high power?"

" Well... When you put it that way..."

" Don't worry. We'll get through this and once this is over... Well, we still have Void but... Nothing we can't handle, right?"

" ... Yeah."

" But be careful, okay?"

They nodded as the next few days arrived and they were finally in front of the Diet Building after much clues.

" So, we still haven't figured out the keyword..."

" Aichi, you think you can see anything?"

" Well, I could try but I've never tried it on a location before..."

Aichi looked at the Diet Building as his Psyqualia activated for a split second.

" A ship..."

The space started to become distorted as they gasped.

" That's... amazing."

" What a twisted man... To think he sees the Diet Building as a ship..."

" Come on, let's get into the Palace."

They nodded and went into the Metaverse as they were shocked to see that the distortion had spread all over the city.

" No way..."

" ... We need to stop this guy."

" Yeah."

They entered the Palace and defeated the Shadow before moving on to gather information about the keycards needed to get to the Treasure.

* * *

Meanwhile, Void was watching them once again as 'Aichi' looked at his cards.

" Void-sama. Can you teach me too?"

" Why the sudden interest?"

" I want to do whatever you like me to do. The real one does it too, right?"

" ... I suppose you're right. What clan would you like to use?"

" I want to use your clan."

" Of course. And it's not just my clan."

" Huh?"

Void leaned in and kissed him on his lips as 'Aichi' blushed.

" It's yours too."

" Void-sama..."

" Now, I'll teach you later. Let's watch these guys first."

" Is this really alright? You could easily just get him but you're here taking care of me... Even when I'm just a..."

" Aichi, I told you before. It's fine. He can wait. I've placed all my priorities on you now, okay? There's nothing for you to feel guilty about. Don't forget, you're carrying our child and most likely, the heir to the throne. I just want you to concentrate on taking care of yourself, okay?"

" Okay..."

" Are you really that worried that once I capture him, I'll forget all about you?"

" No, I mean... I... I don't know... You had feelings for him after all and I'm just something you created from this place. He can be in and out of this world but I can't. This child inside me can't either. We're just... stuck in this world and you wouldn't be able to fulfil your wish of taking over the two worlds."

" I'll find a way. You will live. Not as a cognition but something real. Something that can go further than this. Trust me."

" ... Okay..."

* * *

In Shido's Palace, they managed to gather information as they decided to rest for the day. The next day, they entered the Palace again and started looking for those with the letters of recommendation. Once they succeeded getting their first letter however... Kai stopped in his tracks as Aichi went passed him before they were turned into mice.

" W-What?!"

" Fortune!"

" Guys!"

" Wait, what the shit?! W-We're... mice?!"

" This is prepawsterous! ... Or something like that."

" Ugh, go to hell, Inari. Can you just come back here?"

They went back to the entrance as they turned back to normal.

" Thank goodness, we're human again."

" Looks like we turn back when we leave the affected range. It's really not a big deal."

" It most certainly is a big deal! Explain what just happened to us!"

" It seems like people who Shido views as 'intruders' turn into mice near those Shido statues."

" So we're nothing but rodents to him, huh? That's irritating."

" I agree, but we need to be careful when we're in mouse form. We won't be able to open doors, and any enemy we try to fight in that state'll beat us to a pulp."

" So all we can do is hide? I guess we'll have to change to a completely defensive strategy... I hope we can find a secret passage to get through there..."

They continued their way while constantly transforming into mice as they finally arrived at the swimming pool.

" Whew... That was a whole lot of work..."

" Look over there."

" That seems to be the guy."

They walked over to him as Ryuji suddenly stepped up.

" Hey dude, you got a sec? Uh, nice day today, huh... Actually, maybe not. I, uhhh... I wanna go swimming in the pool! Yeah! ... It's your turn, Panther."

" What?! U-Um, h-hello there. We really would like to speak with you..."

" We won't take much of your time. Will you listen?"

" Please, sir."

" Sorry, but please leave me be. I don't have time for you rowdy children."

" Hey, you little...!"

" No, we apologise for our lack of manners. Come on, Skull. We should leave."

After failing to speak with the former noble, Ryuji asked the girls to change into swimsuits and ask as they tried to persuade the former noble.

" Lineage is important, huh..."

The girls thought about it before their eyes turned to Aichi, who had the headpiece on as part of his outfit.

" That's it!"

" Sir, we do have someone part of an important lineage. Please hold on a minute."

They went over to Aichi as he blinked. Before he knew it, he was dragged into the dressing room and came out wearing a slightly flashy swim trunks and shirt.

" Why am I doing this anyway...?"

" Come on, we need to get the letter of introduction!"

" ... Alright..."

Aichi walked up to the former noble and bowed.

" Hello there, my servants had informed me of you wanting the presence of a noble before you would give the letter of recommendation."

" Hm? And who might you be?"

" I am the heir to the Tatsunagi throne, Aichi Tatsunagi."

 _" I'm sorry, Takuto-kun... I had to come up with something..."_ Aichi thought

Suddenly, he heard a small chuckle before a voice responded.

 _" Don't worry. Feel free to use it. I'm actually enjoying this."_ The voice said

Aichi blinked before looking back to the former noble.

" The next heir to the throne, you say?"

" Y-Yes. I was chosen to take the throne this year."

" Ah, I see. You definitely look different from the other girls from just now."

" Yes, they are the daughters of some of my retainers."

" Lineage is definitely important. You exert a more noble aura than your servants."

" Yes, of course. So, about the letter of introduction... I would be glad to show you around my kingdom if you would grant me one."

" Oh? Then consider it as my sign of respect to you."

Aichi successfully received the letter as he inwardly sighed in relief.

" Thank you."

Aichi then flinched as the former noble started to take his hand.

" By the way, did you remember to put on sunscreen?"

" W-Well, yes. But I'm a boy so I don't really need to so often..."

" As members of prestigious family, why don't we get on more intimate terms?"

" H-Huh...?"

" Want to try on some other swimsuits in my room?"

" I... Uh... K-Kai-kun!"

Before they knew it, flames had cut in between them as the former noble let go of Aichi and Kai caught him from behind.

" Kai-kun!"

" What the?!"

" Keep your filthy hands away from Aichi."

" Looks like they've completed forgotten about codenames..."

" Who wouldn't freak out like that anyway...?"

" Anyways, let's help them out before Overlord goes berserk..."

" Right..."

After the battle, Aichi sighed in relief as he took out the letter again.

" This is our second one."

" Alright! Three more to go!"

" ... Oh, right. Kai-kun, I heard Takuto-kun's voice just now."

" He was communicating with you?"

" I said sorry in my head for using his family name but then I suddenly heard his voice saying that it was fine and he was enjoying this."

" ... It must be Psyqualia... He's watching this whole thing and is actually enjoying it..."

" Then, my eyes are now connected to his?"

 _" That's right. I found a way to see what's going on with you even inside wherever you are."_

" Oh... He talked again. He said that I was right."

" That's some whole other level of creepiness..."

" Agreed..."

 _" Other than that, shouldn't you guys be on the way for something more important? Like... The third letter?"_

" Oh, right! Let's hurry and find another letter of recommendation first!"

" Oh, you're right!"

They nodded and ran off to find their third letter of recommendation after that.

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, everyone! This is a new chapter! Chapter 9! I hope everyone will enjoy this new chapter! Without further ado, let's start!

Normal POV

Aichi pouted as Kai tried to poke his cheek to entertain him.

" It's no fair..."

" What's no fair, Fortune?"

" You never let me into those 'gambling' rooms again."

" I don't want you to see them."

" We saw those at Sae-san's Palace, I don't see what's the difference in just being close to one."

" I think there is difference for you though."

" ... At this rate, I'll just be a deadweight around here... I'm supposed to be helping them too..."

" You're not, okay? Look, after this, we can battle again. I promise, okay?"

" Okay..."

Akira and the others soon came out of the entertainment room as they headed to find the IT president for their fourth letter. Once they received the fourth letter, they gathered again to discuss about the fifth.

" What should we do about the cleaner?"

" I'm sure we can cause a ruckus and make him come out!"

" And we did discuss to try to avoid that."

" Why don't we search the engine room? Out of all the rooms we'd gone and not gone to, that's the most reasonable place to be."

" And Skull did wonder about the smoke that was coming through a vent. Let's head there."

" Right."

* * *

At Void's Metaverse castle, 'Aichi' was building his deck on the bed as Void entered and smiled.

" You're still doing that?"

" Yes. I was thinking about what would've gone well with the deck."

" I see. More importantly..."

Void walked over to him and sat down on the bed before touching 'Aichi's' stomach.

" How're you doing today?"

" The usual. I've been running to the toilet but it's much better than the first few days."

" That's good. I should have the doctor to check on you again later."

" It's fine, Void-sama. Once a month is enough. You don't have to call the doctor everyday to make sure I'm feeling well. These symptoms are expected after all."

" You're quite positive about this."

" Yes. It's because I'm carrying your child, Void-sama."

" ... You're right... You're carrying my child, my first child."

" Void-sama?"

" Never have I imagined for someone like me to actually have offsprings. You made it possible for me."

" Because you created me, Void-sama."

" I'm glad I did. You should rest though. I don't want you to exhaust yourself."

" No... I'm fine."

" Okay then, I'll stay beside you."

* * *

Meanwhile, they had finally gotten the last letter and were about to head back to the real world when they were stopped by Akechi.

" Goro Akechi. I didn't think someone like you would be the cause of the mental shutdowns."

" Yeah, just like I didn't imagine you and Aichi-san would join the Phantom Thieves."

" It's not too late to turn back. Don't you see that Shido's just going to use you just like how he used the other people?"

" ... And here I thought the one who started the Link Joker incident and the one who carried the Seed of Link Joker would understand."

" H-How...?!"

" Well, a little bit of investigation was all I needed."

" Then let me tell you this. It's exactly why we're telling you to stop. We don't want you to make the same mistake we did!"

" Same mistake? No... I'm not even 'helping' Shido. I just want him... My father... to acknowledge me and then I will exact my revenge on him."

" Father?!"

" That's right. Remember how I said that my mother was in a relationship with a good-for-nothing man? So I'm his bastard child. My whole life is nothing but a scandal. My mother's life turned for the worst after she had me... and she died. I was a cursed child for her too."

" No way..."

" I resented him, but he was already a high-ranking official by then. A kid like me could do nothing. That's when it happened! That's when I learned about the cognitive world! Someone, be it god or demon, gave me a chance! I couldn't contain my laughter...!"

" Akechi, just snap out of it! Doing this isn't going to help you or anyone else at all!"

" Who cares? My targets were all doing the same damn thing in this eat or be eaten world. All I did was remove their evil from society. How is that any different from the Phantom Thieves?"

" We're not murderers!"

" So what?! Masayoshi Shido is finally within my grasp! Once he reaches the apex of his power and acknowledges me, I'm going to whisper in his ear... I will tell him the truth of who I really am! And that's when I, an utter disgrace to the world, will rule over him. I will prevail!"

" Akechi-kun, we're all after the same person! Why can't we just work together?!"

" No! ... In just a few weeks and my plan would've came to fruition but no... You just had to interfere! I am going to personally thrust Masayoshi Shido into a living hell. So Joker... Rest easy and die."

Two Shadows formed as they went psychotic after Akechi used his powers on them.

" No..."

" He's gone crazy..."

" Guys, be careful! The enemies are much stronger now!"

" ... Alma!"

Alma appeared after that as Aichi's staff glowed.

" I'm giving everyone a power boost! Hurry and defeat those Shadows!"

" Right!"

" Oracle, I need your support too!"

" Roger!"

The others glowed the same light as they started to attack the Shadows until they were finally defeated. Then, they defeated Akechi and Robin Hood before he laughed again.

" What's he laughing about?!"

" It's not over! He's the one with the black mask!"

" What?!"

" Then that Persona from before was-"

" It's his true power! Be careful!"

Summoning Loki, they found themselves having a hard time fending off his attacks as they finally defeated Akechi.

" You ready to call it quits?"

" I know... I've had enough. You're so lucky... Lucky to be surrounded... by teammates who acknowledge you... And once Shido confesses his crimes, you'll all be heroes. As for me, people will find out my past deductions were just past charades. My fame and trust will vanish."

" I see. So you were turning people psychotic, then solving the cases yourself. And you did that by joining forces with Shido."

" Akechi-kun... Please, it's not too late to turn back. Come with us and let's defeat Shido together."

" Aichi-san..."

" Hey, even if you were this bad, it's not like we've never saw through your fan face."

" Fan face?"

" Everything he said about us back at the court, we believe it all. We believe those words that came out of you were genuine. There's still some good in you left, you just have to nurture it. That's all."

" No... It's too late for me now..."

" Akechi-kun..."

That was when the cognitive Akechi appeared and tried to kill Akechi as Kai clicked his tongue. Akechi shot the device controlling the shutters after that as the alarms rang.

" Kusanagi!"

Kusanagi quickly fired its flames towards the cognitive Akechi and Shadows while passing through the shutters to get Akechi back to them as Aichi quickly healed him.

" Talk to me, Akechi-kun! Tell me you're alright!"

" ... Ugh..."

" Akechi-kun!"

" Looks like he's going to be fine!"

" That bastard Shido... He was gonna kill his own son!"

" He's unforgivable."

" Let's take his heart and make him confess his crimes."

" Yeah!"

" We'll send out the calling card. Let's head back first."

" Right!"

" What should we do with him?"

" ... Fortune and I will do something about him. Let's head off first."

They nodded and went out of the Metaverse as a car pulled over.

" Hey."

" Takuto! You came back?!"

" Yeah, that's right. It's not safe to be out here so get inside. I'll bring everyone back home."

" ... Thank you."

They headed into the car as it drove off after that.

" So... This is the guy that took over Aichi-san before?"

" Yeah."

" Huh? Takuto-kun took over me?"

" Once, yeah. I think it was after we came out of Mementos."

" Why didn't you tell me?"

" Well... I forgot."

" It's the first time I've heard you saying that you forgot something."

" Let's leave it at that first."

After dropping off Akira and the others to their respective homes, the car drove into a building as they took the lift while still supporting Akechi.

" The Tatsunagi building..."

" We've rebuilt it and it's better than the last one. We'll be reaching the infirmary soon, so just lay him down over there."

" Yeah."

They laid Akechi down on one of the infirmary beds as Takuto nodded.

" I'll have doctors watch over him for now. I would like you two to follow me into the meeting room."

" O-Okay..."

They followed Takuto to the meeting room as they were shocked to see some of their friends waiting for them.

" What's everyone doing here?!"

" Took you two long enough."

" We were worried about you two."

" And Takuto Tatsunagi came and told us to come here."

" Huh? You called everyone here, Takuto-kun?"

" Yeah, that's right."

" But why?"

" They were just worried about your progress."

" ... It's going well. There's just one last thing we needed to do."

" I see. Then good luck!"

" Yeah, thank you!"

Aichi stifled a yawn afterwards as Takuto smiled.

" Looks like you two are tired. Just follow the maids and they'll lead you to your rooms."

" Thank yo-"

Aichi was cut off as he collapsed along with Kai.

" Aichi!"

" Kai!"

" They must've been exhausted. I'll get them sent to their room, so relax."

Aichi and Kai were picked up by the servants as they were taken to the room provided by Takuto.

" It's that exhausting in that place?"

" From what I've learnt, yes. It drains quite a bit of their energy. However, the bigger issue is that they've done what they needed. Looks like they're ready to fight."

" Fight who? I heard that it was someone in high power."

" ... I'll show all of you who it is or maybe they might mention it tomorrow so let them rest first. For now, just head to rest as well. You guys have been waiting for quite awhile after all."

" Okay..."

They went to the rooms provided by Takuto as the next day soon arrived. Aichi checked his phone again as Kai came back from the infirmary.

" He's still asleep."

" And I still haven't received any news yet."

" What are you guys waiting for?"

" Akira-kun and the others said that they'll update us on the plan but we haven't gotten any news yet."

Aichi's phone suddenly started vibrating as he showed Kai the written message.

" Just let them go all out."

" This is a little embarrassing..."

" Don't worry. The only face that will be showing up is his."

" Well, yeah."

The others blinked as evening soon arrived and the television started up by itself.

" What's going on?"

" Yo! What is _up_ , everybody!"

" We are the ones who you all know as the Phantom Thieves."

" And all of us are alive and kickin'. But those shitty guys in power? They've been manipulatin' information to try and hide the truth."

" W-Wha... Huh?!"

" So, before we appropriate our next target... We would like to first borrow your time!"

" The recent scandals of public figures, the accidents cause by psychotic breakdown and mental shutdowns. These weren't cause by unknown reasons."

" One man is behind every single instance... simply to satiate his own greed."

" That man was afraid his crimes would be exposed and shifted the blame on us. He even manipulated the police for that."

" We only steal the hearts of criminals. But this asshole tried to dump what he did on us. That just shows he doesn't care about those victims at all!"

" The identity of that cowardly man is-"

The screen got cut off.

" The police acted."

" That was quick. A little too late though. This is Futaba-chan we're talking about."

" Yeah."

" Huh?!"

The screen came back up as the announcement continued.

" The man behind it all is a current cabinet member, of all things. The Minister of State for Special Missions... Masayoshi Shido."

" Shido?! Wait, the one who's running for President?!"

" That's right. He's our target."

" You're kiddin'..."

" Everything that guy says is a lie! And to prove that... Look! As you can see, all of us are alive and kickin'! I'm sure the people investigating us can tell if this is a lie or not. Shido himself will soon confess all the crimes he's committed. Please look forward to it, everyone!"

" We're not gonna sit back and watch some crook wreck this country just 'cause of his goddamn ego. Ain't that right, Leader?"

" Yes. Before that happens, we will take this country!"

The announcement stopped after that as Aichi checked the time.

" It's almost time to go. Once Shido sees this announcement, his Treasure should've surfaced already."

" Let's get this over and done with."

Kai stretched and stood up as Aichi did the same.

" H-Hold it!"

" Don't worry. We'll make it back safe."

" I'll provide your transport to the Diet Building. So just head downstairs."

" Thank you, Takuto-kun."

" Let's go."

" Yeah."

They ran out of the room as Takuto motioned the others to sit back on their seats as he activated his Psyqualia. A screen appeared as the others gasped.

" This is..."

" We're seeing what Aichi-kun is seeing. I've linked with him and I found the other world really interesting."

" Then we can see what's going on!"

" Yeah."

" Can I join?"

They turned to see Akechi as Takuto nodded silently and he took his seat. Meanwhile, Aichi and Kai finally arrived at the Diet Building to meet up with Akira and the others as they finally entered the Palace. They took the lift up to where Shido's Shadow was as he turned to them.

" Shido!"

" Where did you lowlifes obtain that power...? Not that it matters. If you have a complaint, I'm willing to listen."

" What you did to Akechi-kun back there... It was unforgivable! He was your own son! Your own child!"

" Hmph. I had a feeling it was something like that. He reminded me too much of that woman. I also have an idea as to why he approached me. He was hoping to trap me, was he not? He was sharp, but in the end he was just a kid. I controlled him merely by offering praise. I intended to dispose of him as soon as I became Prime Minister."

" What?!"

" I could never keep someone with such intimate knowledge of my past alive. What an 'ace' detective. He was standing beside me all this time, yet couldn't see through my plans. His destroying himself saved me quite a bit of effort though."

" Who gave you that information? Shido, he's still alive, you know."

" Hm?"

" Akechi-kun's still alive. And for his sake, we will change your heart and make you confess all the wrong you've done!"

" So that kid's still alive, huh... No matter, we will settle things once and for all!"

" Here he comes!"

They prepared for battle as the platforms started closing in on them as they jumped on them while Shido's Shadow climbed on his beast.

" Let's defeat him and get his treasure!"

" Yeah!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Void and 'Aichi' were watching the battle as well as 'Aichi' started fiddling with the blankets.

" Why do Palaces form?"

" Because one has a distorted desire so strong that it doesn't belong in the masses."

" Then... This Palace is can be assessed with that Nav they have, right?"

" That's if they find the right location. Don't worry. They will never be able to find this place."

" Your distortion must be stronger then if everything outside has turned dark too."

" Yeah. If this Shido intends to sink the country, then I intend to drown this entire world in darkness."

" That's a strong distortion..."

" Yeah."

" ... Hey, Void-sama."

" What is it?"

" Why do I have powers? I'm not supposed to possess such power, right?"

" Hm... Let me think. I guess that means that you're as real as you can be."

" Void-sama..."

" It's true. If my powers are influencing you this much, then there's a great chance that you might not be as fake as you think you are."

" It's just a small bit of power but I'm practicing everyday."

" Stop that. It might be bad for the child if you kept exerting your energy."

" But I want to be more useful to you... I don't want to be always lying in bed."

" But it's important for you to be doing that now because you're expecting my child and yours. Got it? Just stop practicing."

" Not even just a little bit a day?"

" No, Aichi."

" Okay..."

Void patted his head before turning back to watch the battle.

* * *

While they continued to battle, Shido's Shadow and the beast had taken on a few forms before they fought his final form.

" Seriously, this better be the last!"

" But he's more powerful than before! Be careful, everyone!"

" Don't gotta say that twice!"

" Futaba-chan, let's give them a boost!"

" Right!"

The others got a stat boost each as they finally defeated Shido's Shadow.

" How could I... lose?"

" For causing countless mental shutdown in others, you will atone... with your life."

" Don'tcha got something to say to our leader before you go passin' out?"

" Yes... I acknowledge... that I incriminated you on false charges. I did it to protect myself... I'm so sorry for what I've done... It feels as though it's been quite some time since I have felt sincerely apologetic..."

" But no matter what, you'll have to atone for the crimes you've done."

" Hmph... That may be good... So, I've been defeated..."

Kai took the Treasure as he nodded to them. Aichi suddenly sensed something as he closed his eyes to concentrate.

" This is bad...!"

" What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Shadow Shido collapsed and disappeared as they gasped.

" What the-?!"

" Shido has stopped all his biological activities in the real world! He intends to bring us down by temporarily collapsing his Palace!"

" You're kidding!"

" Let's hurry and find an escape route before it's too late!"

They nodded and started running as they saw a life boat in the distance. Ryuji ran towards it as he quickly released the hatch and they hopped onto the boat.

" Just hold on, Ryuji!"

The explosions caught up as they shielded their eyes. Once they opened them again, Ryuji was gone.

" Oh no..."

" No way... Come on, what the hell, Ryuji... RYUJI!"

They were then transported back to the real world as they gasped.

" We're back... Ryuji?!"

" He didn't... make it out..."

" We gotta go back!"

" That's impossible..."

" Ha... Haha... This isn't funny at all..."

" He was our fastest runner too...!"

" So this is the Treasure."

" It's a legislator's pin."

Futaba started sobbing as the rest started to follow suit while Kai patted Aichi's back while hugging him.

" Man, that was close..."

" ... Huh?"

" For real though, why do Palaces gotta explode so much? Can't they disappear normally?"

Ryuji looked over to them while being confused at their shocked faces.

" ... What?"

" Didn't you... die?"

" What?! I got blasted out from the explosion... When I woke up, I was lyin' down on the grass... I mean, ain't I alive?"

Ryuji looked around after that.

" What's this? Your cryin' face is so not cute."

" It's your damn fault!"

She slapped Ryuji after that.

" What'd I do?"

" We were worried about you!"

" You troublemaker!"

" Wait, what's this about...?"

" About you being so laid back after supposedly 'dying' and making the others, even Aichi, cry."

" H-Hold on... okay? C'mon, I-I... almost... k-kinda died!"

The girls inched closer as Aichi wiped his tears while ignoring Ryuji's pleas.

" Uh, you guys are joking... right?"

After a beat up session...

" I'm feeling a bit hungry."

" Why don't we stop by somewhere before going home?"

" Actually, Takuto-kun offered to let us stay and have some small snacks at the building."

" Great! Let's go then!"

They walked to a nearby area to get into the car, while also picking the unconscious Ryuji on the way back...

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter! Yes, I made a lot of time skips and I'm hoping to be able to not do that too many times now! But I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!


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